Pharmacist

Career as Pharmacist is about dispensing drugs to the patients as prescribed by the doctor. A pharmacist has to have a deep knowledge of the various drugs. A career as Pharmacist does not include prescribing medicines but they do educate patients about the effect of medicines.

Tasks:
Career as Pharmacist has a variety of task to perform. Some of the specific works are:

• Prepare, mix and distribute the medicine.
• Provide information on different types of medicine to the doctors and the patients
• Check the prescription and the dosage to make sure that it is harmless and suitable.
• Avert and resolve the medication problems
• Keep the evidence of the drugs given
• Supervise and support the subordinates, technicians and other staff members.
• Sell the therapeutic and surgical equipments
• Service private hospitals and nursing homes
• Offer the blueprint to carry out clinical experiments.
• Host various programs on pharmaceutical issues for health care experts and organizations.
• Manage the medical store and look into the other related managerial duties.
• Check the stock of medicines available in the store. If there is any shortage of medicines, they should contact the suppliers urgently.
• Check the date of expiry of the medicines at the time of delivery.
• Keep the store clean so that the medicines and equipment available are not affected.

Educational Qualifications:
There are ample degrees one has to complete to pursue a career as Pharmacist. Some of the degrees are:

• Bachelors Degree, Pharmacy (B. Pharma)
• Masters Degree, Pharmacy (M. Pharma)
• Doctorate Degree, Pharmacy (Pharma. D.)
• Certified Courses (Several Federal Governments also need the license to practice as pharmacist.)

Other Necessary Skills:
In career as pharmacist, the person has to deal with all kind of people, from doctors to public. Some of the basic skills required are:

• They must have good scientific aptitude. This will help them to understand the drugs in a better way.
• They must be very eager to help others. If the prescribed drug is not available, they should provide an appropriate alternative drug, in consultation with the doctor.
• They must pay close attention to the prescription. Therefore, that right medicines are given.
• They must be good in communication skills, as sometimes they are involved in marketing of medicines.
• They recommend various medical apparatus and in-house healthcare supplies to the patients.
• They also offer tips on diet, work out, and pressure management techniques to the patients.

Places of Work:
There are several places of employment in the career as Pharmacist:

• Hospitals and Clinics
• Health Organizations
• Drug Stores and Pharmacies
• Pharmaceutical Industries
• Pharmacy Institutions
• Clinical Research and Development Industries

The work places of the pharmacists are generally very quiet and clean. They usually wear masks and gloves while working as some of the chemicals are very harmful.

Job Opportunity:
The career as Pharmacist has many job opportunities. Their two major fields of specialization are:

• Community : The pharmacists work in retail to provide services to their customers. They sell the drugs/products to community groups and other professionals.
• Hospital : Their services are restricted within hospital patients and staff members.

Apart from these specializations, many pharmacists work independently. They generally have their own drug store. These stores can be in the premises of the hospitals or can be in civic places. The people who have enough money to spend can have drug chain stores. The hospital pharmacists may be promoted to the supervisory positions.

Remuneration:
Career as Pharmacist is one of the highly paid professions. The job satisfaction is good as the work area is vast. Due to the various fields, a person has ample choice to pick and earn. If the person owns a drug store, the location and the availability of medicines play an important role in earning good income. Hence, money wise, a pharmacist career is a rewarding one.

Job progress:
Career as Pharmacist is a very admirable job. The employment growth is expected to grow much faster than other occupations. The person has many options to advance further. They start their career as a pharmacist in hospitals or organizations. They can grow to become senior pharmacists or manager of the pharmacy department. Some pharmacist may work as a supervisor or a manager of a drug store. They can go further to become manager of a region or a zone. Some of the pharmacists even opt to go in the field of marketing and sales of drugs. The intellectual ones can opt to venture out into the researching and development field. Hence, there is a lot scope to progress.

Employment Forecast:
The Employment forecast of a career as pharmacist is good. The possibilities of curing the diseases have increased, so have the demand of medicines. The pharmaceutical companies are manufacturing different types of medicines. The research in the field of drug manufacturing has in turn promoted the career of a pharmacist. Therefore, it is a brilliant employment option for a secure future.