A pharmacist is a healthcare professional who is responsible for preparing and dispensing medications needed to treat illnesses and improve patient quality of life. They are medication experts and play a critical role in helping people get the best results from their medications. Pharmacists work with doctors, nurses, and pharmacy technicians to ensure that patients receive the correct medications and dosages. They also provide information and advice to patients on how to use their medications safely and effectively. Some common tasks and duties of a pharmacist include:
- Dispensing medication per the prescription or doctor’s orders
- Consulting patients on prescribed medication usage
- Communicating with physicians to dispense medication correctly
- Directing patients toward over-the-counter medications to treat their ailment
- Verifying dosage on medications prescribed by healthcare providers
- Ensuring whether or not a particular medication will interact with other medications used by the patient
- Verifying that the patient is not otherwise at risk of adverse reactions caused by a prescription
- Preparing prescriptions according to prescriber instructions
- Organizing the pharmacy in an efficient manner to make the identification of products easier and faster
- Maintaining full control over delivering, stocking, and labeling medicine and other products
Pharmacists typically work in pharmacies, including those in drug, general merchandise, and grocery stores, as well as hospitals and other healthcare facilities that are open 24 hours. Most pharmacists work full time, and some work nights, weekends, and holidays. Pharmacists typically need a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, and every state requires pharmacists to be licensed. The median annual wage for pharmacists was $132,750 in May 2022, and employment of pharmacists is projected to grow 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
