Pharmacy practice is an exciting blend of science, health care direct patient contact, computer technology and business. An increasing number of pharmacists practice in hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities, neighborhood clinics and HMOs.
In these settings, the pharmacist is a member of a health care team and, along with physicians and nurses, is directly involved with patient care. Pharmacists in these settings may also be responsible for systems which control drug distribution and assure each patient receives the appropriate medication in the right form at the right time.
Description
Job responsibilities of a registered pharmacist in a hospital or clinic may include:
- Distribute medication prescribed by physicians
- Advise medical staff on the selection and effects of drugs
- May also make sterile solutions to be administered intravenously
- Assess, plan, and monitor drug programs or regimens
- Counsel hospitalized patients on the use of drugs and on their use at home when the patients are discharged
- Evaluate drug-use patterns and outcomes for patients in hospitals or managed care organizations
- Counsel patients and answer questions about prescription drugs, including questions regarding possible side effects or interactions among various drugs
- Provide information about over-the-counter drugs and make recommendations after talking with the patient
- May give advice about the patient’s diet, exercise, or stress management or about durable medical equipment and home health care supplies
- May provide specialized services to help patients manage conditions such as diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation, or high blood pressure
Licensing
- Must pass a state licensing examination
Personal qualifications
- Excellent judgment, dependability, conscientious performance
- Close attention to detail, scrupulous recordkeeping
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High ethical standards
Employment opportunities
- Excellent, according to the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Graduates with a PharmD from MCPHS are highly sought by employers; virtually all of our students are employed before or soon after they graduate
- Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow faster than average through the year 2014, because of the increasing demand for pharmaceuticals, particularly from the growing elderly population
Salary
Median annual wages: approximately $92,000 (Money Magazine and Salary.com)
Progression
Growth opportunities for retail pharmacists are in pharmacy management. Additional growth opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry include promotion of pharmaceuticals to health professionals, marketing, clinical studies in patients, and managing regulatory and legal issues.
Getting there: Your degree program at MCPHS
- Doctor of Pharmacy (Boston): full-time, six-year degree for in-coming freshmen
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Post BS Pharmacy PharmD Pathway (Boston): part-time, distance learning program for
- Doctor of Pharmacy, Accelerated (Worcester/Manchester): full-time, year-round, intensive 2-year 10-month degree for student who have completed pre-professional course work