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Pharmacist

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AVG. SALARY

$119,000

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EDUCATION

Doctoral degree

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

What They Do

Pharmacists Career Video

About This Career

Dispenses drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provides information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.

A person in this career:

  • Reviews prescriptions to assure accuracy, to ascertain the needed ingredients, and to evaluate their suitability.
  • Assesses the identity, strength, or purity of medications.
  • Provides information and advice regarding drug interactions, side effects, dosage, and proper medication storage.
  • Analyzes prescribing trends to monitor patient compliance and to prevent excessive usage or harmful interactions.
  • Maintains records, such as pharmacy files, patient profiles, charge system files, inventories, control records for radioactive nuclei, or registries of poisons, narcotics, or controlled drugs.
  • Collaborates with other health care professionals to plan, monitor, review, or evaluate the quality or effectiveness of drugs or drug regimens, providing advice on drug applications or characteristics.
  • Plans, implements, or maintains procedures for mixing, packaging, or labeling pharmaceuticals, according to policy and legal requirements, to ensure quality, security, and proper disposal.
  • Orders and purchases pharmaceutical supplies, medical supplies, or drugs, maintaining stock and storing and handling it properly.
  • Compounds and dispenses medications as prescribed by doctors and dentists, by calculating, weighing, measuring, and mixing ingredients, or oversees these activities.
  • Contacts insurance companies to resolve billing issues.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

  • You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
  • Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
  • Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
  • Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
  • Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

  • Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
  • Seeing clearly at a distance
  • Seeing clearly up close
  • Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
  • Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

  • Irregular hours
  • Weekend work

Specialty and Similar Careers

Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:

  • Informatics Pharmacist
  • Pharm D (Pharmacy Doctor)
  • Pharmacy Coordinator
  • Pharmacy Services Clinical Coordinator
  • Retail Pharmacist
  • Clinical Pharmacist
  • Hospital Pharmacist — Responsible for dispensing and procurement of medicinal products and supplies used in hospitals, health centers, care facilities, clinics, nursing homes and GP surgeries.
  • Pharmacist in Charge (PIC)
  • Pharmacy Informaticist
  • Registered Pharmacist