Duties of pharmacist
Salary
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Pharmacy
When you imagine pharmacists at work, do you see them counting out pills and filling bottles? That’s actually only a small part of a pharmacist’s job.
These professionals play a key role in the treatment of disease. They advise both doctors and patients about the dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications. In fact, pharmacists don’t only work at the corner drugstore. You’ll also find them researching new medications for drug companies or monitoring drug therapy at hospitals, nursing homes, and mental health institutions.
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Pass a licensing exam to practice in your state
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Educate patients and answer a wide range of questions
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Provide diet, exercise, and other health information that does not involve prescription medication
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Respect and protect patient privacy
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Conduct experiments if you go into research and development
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Keep up with the latest advances
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Work some nights and weekends
Job outlook
Government economists expect job growth for pharmacists to be faster than the average for all careers through 2020. There should be plenty of job openings because a lot of pharmacists will likely retire during the next ten years.
Job growth is expected in part because the aging U.S. population will need more medications. Advances in science should also create more drugs and therefore more opportunities for pharmacists. And more people may get insurance coverage for medication. Finally, as more people take multiple medications, the dangers of drug interactions increase and pharmacists must play a bigger role in patient care.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary of pharmacists in 2011 was $112,160.
