Pharmacist

Overview and Key Facts

What Do They Do?

A pharmacist could...

Overview Listen to this section

Pharmacists are the medication experts. They advise doctors, nurses, and patients on the correct drug dosage for a patient's weight, age, health, and gender; on interactions between drugs; on side effects; on drug alternatives; on costs; and on ways to give drugs. They also dispense drugs at pharmacies, according to prescriptions, checking for dangerous drug interactions, and educating patients on how to take drugs, what reactions to watch out for, and how long it should take for drugs to work.

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Pharmacist?

1. Reading Comprehension: ? Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
2. Active Listening: ? Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
3. Service Orientation: ? Actively looking for ways to help people.
4. Writing: ? Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
5. Monitoring: ? Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

6. Speaking: ? Talking to others to convey information effectively.
7. Instructing: ? Teaching others how to do something.
8. Critical Thinking: ? Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
9. Judgment and Decision Making: ? Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
10. Science: ? Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Pharmacist might do:

• Review prescriptions to assure accuracy, to ascertain the needed ingredients, and to evaluate their suitability.
• Provide information and advice regarding drug interactions, side effects, dosage, and proper medication storage.
• Maintain records, such as pharmacy files, patient profiles, charge system files, inventories, control records for radioactive nuclei, or registries of poisons, narcotics, or controlled drugs.
• Plan, implement, or maintain procedures for mixing, packaging, or labeling pharmaceuticals, according to policy and legal requirements, to ensure quality, security, and proper disposal.
• Assess the identity, strength, or purity of medications.
• Collaborate 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.
• Order and purchase pharmaceutical supplies, medical supplies, or drugs, maintaining stock and storing and handling it properly.
• Analyze prescribing trends to monitor patient compliance and to prevent excessive usage or harmful interactions.
• Advise customers on the selection of medication brands, medical equipment, or healthcare supplies.
• Compound and dispense medications as prescribed by doctors and dentists, by calculating, weighing, measuring, and mixing ingredients, or oversee these activities.
• Manage pharmacy operations, hiring or supervising staff, performing administrative duties, or buying or selling non-pharmaceutical merchandise.
• Provide specialized services to help patients manage conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation, or high blood pressure.
• Offer health promotion or prevention activities, such as training people to use blood pressure devices or diabetes monitors.
• Contact insurance companies to resolve billing issues.
• Teach pharmacy students serving as interns in preparation for their graduation or licensure.
• Refer patients to other health professionals or agencies when appropriate.