Known for centuries as chemists, pharmacists have become as important and personalized as the family physician for many people. Every aspect of pharmacy has certainly evolved over the last one hundred years. Becoming a pharmacist has also changed; it is an easy career to get on track and is also a great career opportunity.
A person might wonder just exactly what it is that a pharmacist does or how to begin earning a pharmacist degree? The answers are easy to find. Finding a school that offers pharmacy courses is the first thing you need to do. Being confident the courses interest you on a basic level.
A pharmacist has many duties. Dispensing drugs that physicians prescribe to patients is the obvious job of any pharmacist. Pharmacists educate consumers about medications. Sometimes a pharmacist will also advise a physician as to drug interactions and effects. As a pharmacist your customers become like loyal followers trusting your knowledge and awareness. Pharmacists maintain medical records and medications in order to be certain a patient is not mixing drugs that are not suitable to mix.
Pharmacist can also manage or even own a pharmacy and that includes taking on responsibilities such as hiring and firing personnel. There are times when a pharmacist will also have to supervise employees when in an ownership or managerial position.
A pharmacist's duties vary greatly and encompass aspects of pharmacy and medicine that one would not traditionally think about initially.
Pharmacists are trained to be involved in drug therapies. These therapies can include such specialty fields as oncology and intravenous nutrition support. So if you are looking for an exciting career choice that holds many rewarding challenges, earns you great money, and takes very little training, then pharmacy is the field for you.
The training you will need in order to be considered a pharmacist begins with your graduation as a Doctor of Pharmacy or PharmD from any accredited higher learning institution. You will also need to serve a predetermined amount of time under a licensed pharmacist in order to be considered a pharmacist your self.
In an overview of what a pharmacist is responsible for it may at first seem a daunting undertaking. In the long run though the benefits far outweigh any trepidation you may first experience. Traditionally pharmacists work in community pharmacies. Some pharmacists, close to one-quarter of all licensed pharmacists, are employed in local hospitals or clinics. Mail order or wholesale pharmaceutical needs employ the smallest portion of pharmacists.
Typically a pharmacist works a forty-hour week. Depending on whether a pharmacist is self-employed or employed in a managerial position the hours worked can be as much as fifty hours a week. As with any medical field-type position there is a shortage of pharmacists so there may be cases where the workload and hours worked will exceed what is typical.
Salaries for pharmacists vary due to elements such as geographical location, the amount of experience you have under your belt, and the level of education you have completed. It would be typical that pharmacists as an overall career choice earn a salary of close to eighty thousand dollars yearly.
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About the Author
Scott Knutson is an entrepreneur and writer. For more of his articles visit: Pharmacy Technician | Pharmacy Schools | Pharmacy Tech
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The forty hour week can change depending on the company or pharmacy people get associated with. Interested students are encouraged to take up pharmacy technician classes as the demand for pharmacists are growing everyday. So to those who are interested in this field, go for it now :)
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