Pharmacy

Pharmacy is just one career choice in a growing list of health career opportunities. Pharmacy graduates are among America’s best paid and most respected professionals, and because of health care trends, pharmacy is an excellent long-term career choice.

Introduction

Pharmacy is the practice of compounding and dispensing drugs. Pharmacists employed all over the U.S. and the world are necessary to keep a community running. People will always need pharmacists not only to obtain specific medications, but also to have those medications explained to them. Pharmacy is a highly profitable profession with a multitude of opportunities.

Education

A complex educational foundation is necessary to prepare for a career in pharmacy. Since knowledge for a pharmaceutical career is extensive, students today must attend college, complete internships, and acquire a license before practicing as a pharmacist.

Course of Study

Pharmacists who are trained in the United States must earn a Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) degree from an accredited college or school of pharmacy. For admission to a Pharm.D. program, the applicant must have completed at least two years of specific professional study, usually including courses in mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics.The Pharm.D. program generally takes four years.

Internships, Residencies, and Fellowships

To prepare students for challenging positions within the pharmaceutical industry, the training includes months of intensive practice experience.

During the four-year course of study, pharmacy students often participate in internships, which help further the pharmacy students’ knowledge and give them “hands-on” experience. Internships allow students to experience different pharmacy environments so they can choose a field of pharmacy in which they would like to work.

Pharmacy residencies are postgraduate training programs that usually require a research project. Generally, pharmacy residencies are mandatory for pharmacists who wish to work in a clinical setting.

Pharmacy fellowships are intended to prepare pharmacists to work in a specialized area. The programs are highly individualized to prepare the participant to conduct independent research.

Skills

Pharmacists also need many practical skills. They have to deal with all different types of people, many of whom are ill and under stress. Therefore, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and excellent judgment skills are important. Furthermore, pharmacists must also be conscientious, pay attention to detail, and have a desire to help others.

Licenses

Pharmaceutical licenses are granted by states when one meets the following requirements:

  • Obtain a Pharm.D. degree from a college that is accredited by the American Council for Pharmacy Education.
  • Pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) that tests pharmacy skills and knowledge. Some states also require the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) exam which tests pharmacy law.
  • Acquire a specified number of hours of experience in a practice setting. In most states, this requirement can be met while obtaining the Pharm.D. degree.
  • Some states specify an age requirement.
  • Some states require a criminal background check.

Opportunities

Pharmacists are in greater demand today than ever before. Since the “baby boom era,” population growth has declined while health awareness has increased. Due to increased medical knowledge, generations of older people live into their eighties and even nineties. People over 65 often require twice as many prescriptions as younger people. Therefore, the medical field needs more pharmacists to fill these prescriptions and guard the health of the elderly.

As a result, there are many employment opportunities for pharmaceutical graduates. Moreover, some companies even offer bonuses to attract new employees to their staffs. While the number of pharmacists entering the field is decreasing, the number of available positions is increasing. This difference allows for an excess of job opportunities.

Benefits

A career in pharmacy offers a greater number of benefits than drawbacks. Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow. With the increase in job openings, job availability and advancement come easily. After pharmacists have completed their education, the job they obtain usually lasts them until retirement. Not only does a career in pharmacy offer job security, but it also can include many other benefits if a pharmacist works for a hospital. For example, a hospital houses many different types of professions, and the benefits of working in a hospital are greater than those of a career in a chain or independent pharmacy. A hospital can offer health insurance, life insurance, and other extras to its employees, along with paid vacations and sick leave.

Although the pharmacy profession has several benefits, it also has its share of drawbacks. Most pharmacists work at least 40–48 hours per week, and they occasionally work additional overtime. With the new advancements in technology, pharmacists must be more careful than in the past. Customers can now sue pharmacists for failing to safeguard against falsified prescriptions. These hindrances place some stress on pharmacists, but after work pharmacists can spend time as they wish. Pharmacists do not have to bring their work home or have the hassle of being on call. These benefits combine to make pharmacy a pleasurable career.

Since the technology in pharmacy has greatly advanced, pharmacists’ salaries are directly proportional to the difficulty of their jobs. With the new drugs available in today’s market and the increasing need for knowledge of how to use the drugs, pharmacists must keep alert, and they receive a generous salary for doing so.Their salaries have increased steadily for a number of years.

Conclusion

The pharmaceutical career has vastly changed through the years with still more changes yet to come. Technology plays a major role in this change. Since people now live much longer than they used to, this career now demands more people and offers excellent job security. Through their work with different people, pharmacists become an essential part of their community, not only because of their jobs but also because of their interaction with the community itself. Pharmacy is an excellent career choice, and anyone considering this profession should thoroughly explore it.

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