Pharmacists are primary dispensers of medicines and health supplies. They make available thousands of items used in health care, ranging from the drugs and chemicals used in compounding prescription medication to sickroom supplies. Pharmacists also serve the community as a prime source of information on health topics. They help patrons maintain their health and well-being by giving them the health information they need, or by telling them where they can get the help they should have. Pharmacists must understand drug composition, chemical and physical properties, manufacture and use, activity in the normal body as well as in the person who is ill, and must be familiar with tests for purity and strength. Hospital pharmacists, as members of the health care team, have a unique opportunity for direct involvement with patient care. The clinical skills and knowledge received by pharmacy students today make this individual an authoritative source of drug information for physicians, nurses and patients. As with others of the health care team, the pharmacists' decisions and actions involve human life and well-being. Careful attention to accuracy, neatness, orderliness and cleanliness must be a guideline. As experts in drugs and chemicals, it follows that pharmacists need a good education in scientific subjects, and should have curiosity and a willingness to learn. The pharmacist needs some background in the principles of management; should have an interest in these subjects, and the desire to maintain records, legal and otherwise, required for pharmacy practice. Most importantly, pharmacists must enjoy working with people, be able to meet them and be willing to serve them in a variety of circumstances.

A license to practice pharmacy is required in all states. To obtain a license, one must graduate from an accredited college of pharmacy, pass a state exam, and serve an internship under a licensed pharmacist. Most states require continuing education for license renewal. The pharmacy degree program requires at least 2-years of specific pre-professional (undergraduate) coursework followed by 4-academic years of professional study. The majority of students enter the pharmacy degree program with three or more years of college experience. All colleges of pharmacy offer courses in pharmacy practice, designed to teach students to dispense prescriptions, communicate with patients and other health professionals and to strengthen their understanding of professional ethics and practice management responsibilities. Pharmacists’ training increasingly emphasizes direct patient care as well as consultative services to other health professionals.

• Doctorate Degree

Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005, due to the increased pharmaceutical needs of a larger and older population and greater use of medication. As in other occupations, most job openings will result from the need to replace pharmacists who leave the profession. The increased number of middle-aged and elderly people will spur demand in all practice settings. Projected rapid growth in the elderly population is especially important because the number of prescriptions influences demand for pharmacists, and the elderly use more prescription drugs, on the average, than younger people. Other factors likely to increase demand for pharmacists through the year 2005 include the likelihood of scientific advances that will make more drug products available; new developments in administering medication; and increasingly sophisticated consumers seeking more information about drugs. The number of pharmacists in hospitals is expected to grow as pharmacists consult more and become more actively involved in patient drug therapy decision-making. The increased severity of the typical hospital patient’s illness, together with rapid strides in drug therapy, is likely to heighten demand for pharmacists in hospitals, HMO’s and other health care settings.

Persons in other professions who work with pharmaceutical compounds are pharmaceutical chemists and pharmacologists

$70,950

• St. Louis College Of Pharmacy
• University Of Kansas
• University Of Missouri - Kansas City
• University Of Missouri - Kansas City School Of Pharmacy
• University Of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

• Aft Healthcare
• American Association Of Colleges Of Pharmacy
• American College Of Clinical Pharmacy
• American Council On Pharmaceutical Education, Inc.
• American Pharmaceutical Association
• American Society For Clinical Pharmacology And Therapeutics
• American Society Of Health System Pharmacists
• National Association Of Boards Of Pharmacy