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What are the job responsibilities of a pharmacist?
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Zahid’s Answer
Once employed, your primary duty as a pharmacist is to dispense medications that are prescribed by a physician. You'll also be responsible for informing doctors about a patient's medication history, monitoring treatment programs, administering drug therapies, and providing instructions on the correct usage of prescription medicine. While dispensing and monitoring a patient's medication, you must be aware of and protect patient privacy.
Counseling Patients
Another important aspect of your job may include counseling patients about health concerns, such as diet, exercise, stress management, and home health care supplies. You may assist patients with questions, such as possible side effects and proper dosages for over-the-counter and prescription medications. You may also provide information on topics, such as how to quit smoking, or give advice for managing chronic conditions, like diabetes and asthma.
Research and Other Pharmacy Specializations
Some pharmacists work as pharmaceutical researchers, performing research experiments to develop and test pharmaceuticals. . If you enjoy the idea of teaching the subject and working in academia, you might consider pursuing a career as a professor at a school of pharmacy to conduct research. Several programs offer options to specialize in certain pharmaceutical areas, including the following:
Nuclear pharmacy
Geriatric pharmacy
Oncology
Intravenous nutrition support
Psychiatric pharmacy
source: https://learn.org/articles/What_are_the_Job_Duties_of_a_Pharmacist.html
Counseling Patients
Another important aspect of your job may include counseling patients about health concerns, such as diet, exercise, stress management, and home health care supplies. You may assist patients with questions, such as possible side effects and proper dosages for over-the-counter and prescription medications. You may also provide information on topics, such as how to quit smoking, or give advice for managing chronic conditions, like diabetes and asthma.
Research and Other Pharmacy Specializations
Some pharmacists work as pharmaceutical researchers, performing research experiments to develop and test pharmaceuticals. . If you enjoy the idea of teaching the subject and working in academia, you might consider pursuing a career as a professor at a school of pharmacy to conduct research. Several programs offer options to specialize in certain pharmaceutical areas, including the following:
Nuclear pharmacy
Geriatric pharmacy
Oncology
Intravenous nutrition support
Psychiatric pharmacy
source: https://learn.org/articles/What_are_the_Job_Duties_of_a_Pharmacist.html
Updated
Anthony’s Answer
Hi Tracey,
In short, pharmacists are medication experts in every facet. Therefore, nearly all responsibilities of a pharmacist revolve around managing medications. Many other posts here mentioned medication management. I thought it would be redundant to continue this discussion, so I wanted to bring light to a less-obvious responsibility of pharmacists and one I am currently learning to deal with in my career.
One significant responsibility that I noticed is overlooked in this thread is the need for pharmacists to manage their staff and delegate tasks effectively to others. Of course, this is more crucial to pharmacy managers who also have other pharmacists to manage. However, nearly every pharmacist has staff who assists them with their responsibilities to medication management. Inherently, this creates a dynamic where the pharmacist then takes on managing their help. I know this may sound like an obvious response as anyone in a higher-level position, such as a pharmacist, has help assist them. However, it is imperative to keep in mind that management responsibilities constitute a significant part of a pharmacist’s job and cannot be taught in pharmacy school.
For example, I work in a smaller pharmacy of a significant chain. Daily I have to manage at least two technicians and front-store help to give myself room for my medication management responsibilities. I am referring to managing their lunch breaks and work breaks, managing their hands-on and virtual training, and managing their interactions with patients. In addition, every week, I have to work their schedule and hours, and consistently throughout the month, I also have to manage their sick days, days off, and vacation time.
It is essential to point out these responsibilities because all pharmacists (not just pharmacy managers) have to play a role in this type of management. In many other professions, only those in managerial positions have these responsibilities.
Anthony
In short, pharmacists are medication experts in every facet. Therefore, nearly all responsibilities of a pharmacist revolve around managing medications. Many other posts here mentioned medication management. I thought it would be redundant to continue this discussion, so I wanted to bring light to a less-obvious responsibility of pharmacists and one I am currently learning to deal with in my career.
One significant responsibility that I noticed is overlooked in this thread is the need for pharmacists to manage their staff and delegate tasks effectively to others. Of course, this is more crucial to pharmacy managers who also have other pharmacists to manage. However, nearly every pharmacist has staff who assists them with their responsibilities to medication management. Inherently, this creates a dynamic where the pharmacist then takes on managing their help. I know this may sound like an obvious response as anyone in a higher-level position, such as a pharmacist, has help assist them. However, it is imperative to keep in mind that management responsibilities constitute a significant part of a pharmacist’s job and cannot be taught in pharmacy school.
For example, I work in a smaller pharmacy of a significant chain. Daily I have to manage at least two technicians and front-store help to give myself room for my medication management responsibilities. I am referring to managing their lunch breaks and work breaks, managing their hands-on and virtual training, and managing their interactions with patients. In addition, every week, I have to work their schedule and hours, and consistently throughout the month, I also have to manage their sick days, days off, and vacation time.
It is essential to point out these responsibilities because all pharmacists (not just pharmacy managers) have to play a role in this type of management. In many other professions, only those in managerial positions have these responsibilities.
Anthony
Updated
Dinah’s Answer
A retail pharmacist and a hospital pharmacist both need to do similar tasks at work on a daily basis. Retail and hospital pharmacists both have to fill prescriptions and make substitutions on medications that are currently available. Before even working, both retail pharmacists and clinical pharmacists need extensive training and education relating to medication and diseases states.
Retail pharmacists can occasionally make substitutions, but a call to the doctor sometime needs to be made before any final decision is made. They also focus on medication consultations, monitoring treatment plans, drug-drug interactions, administering medication, and overall making sure the patient's medication history is up to date. While dispensing any medication or working with a patient, HIPAA needs to be put in place, so patient information stays protected and not given to anyone that shouldn't have it. Some medications can be compounded in retail pharmacy, but more complex compounds need to be sent to a compounding pharmacy or a specialty pharmacy. When a retail pharmacist does consultations, it can be over smoking cessation, stress management, health concerns, and other important and pertinent information that needs to be given to the patient.
Hospital pharmacists deal with more challenging and complicated cases, especially if a patient needs to be admitted into the hospital for a few days. Hospital pharmacists frequently consult other healthcare providers in the hospital for further consultations and to help with making important decisions on the best way to treat the patient. Some hospital pharmacists can change a prescribed medication without having to consult the attending doctor that prescribed it. Hospital pharmacists also doing counseling before a patient gets discharged, especially if a patient has to be on anticoagulation or medications that they were never on when they were admitted.
There are so many other branches of pharmacy pharmacists can work in like, ambulatory, transplant, assisted living pharmacists, pharmaceutical sales representative, pharmacologist, veterinary, and many more. The requirements can differ from job to job, but the biggest similarity is making sure the patients or animals are not having adverse effects or any other concerning symptoms.
Retail pharmacists can occasionally make substitutions, but a call to the doctor sometime needs to be made before any final decision is made. They also focus on medication consultations, monitoring treatment plans, drug-drug interactions, administering medication, and overall making sure the patient's medication history is up to date. While dispensing any medication or working with a patient, HIPAA needs to be put in place, so patient information stays protected and not given to anyone that shouldn't have it. Some medications can be compounded in retail pharmacy, but more complex compounds need to be sent to a compounding pharmacy or a specialty pharmacy. When a retail pharmacist does consultations, it can be over smoking cessation, stress management, health concerns, and other important and pertinent information that needs to be given to the patient.
Hospital pharmacists deal with more challenging and complicated cases, especially if a patient needs to be admitted into the hospital for a few days. Hospital pharmacists frequently consult other healthcare providers in the hospital for further consultations and to help with making important decisions on the best way to treat the patient. Some hospital pharmacists can change a prescribed medication without having to consult the attending doctor that prescribed it. Hospital pharmacists also doing counseling before a patient gets discharged, especially if a patient has to be on anticoagulation or medications that they were never on when they were admitted.
There are so many other branches of pharmacy pharmacists can work in like, ambulatory, transplant, assisted living pharmacists, pharmaceutical sales representative, pharmacologist, veterinary, and many more. The requirements can differ from job to job, but the biggest similarity is making sure the patients or animals are not having adverse effects or any other concerning symptoms.
Updated
EJ’s Answer
Tracey,
There are many different pharmacy settings and a pharmacist would have different responsibilities.
Main responsibilities for retail or hospital pharmacists will be dispensing medications to the patients and counseling. However there are other pharmacists their daily responsibilities does not involve dispensing medications. Pharmacists works at insurance company will work on drug list for the insurance coverage or informatics specialist pharmacists will work on electronic medical records or research on certain medications.
There are many different pharmacy settings and a pharmacist would have different responsibilities.
Main responsibilities for retail or hospital pharmacists will be dispensing medications to the patients and counseling. However there are other pharmacists their daily responsibilities does not involve dispensing medications. Pharmacists works at insurance company will work on drug list for the insurance coverage or informatics specialist pharmacists will work on electronic medical records or research on certain medications.