BY: RICHIE SERRANO

Pharmacist

Interviews

Both pharmacists I interviewed said that they love their job and would recommend it to others

Bill, a pharmacist at Kroger, has been a pharmacist for 30 years

Melissa, a pharmacist at Wal-Mart, has been a pharmacist for 7 ½ years

They are both classified as doctors of Pharmacy

What is a Pharmacist

The pharmacists I talked to said their main duties were:

dispensing prescription medications to patients and offer advice on their safe use.

Answer any questions that customers have and explain how to use medications.

Re-filling prescriptions

Duties

Duties of Pharmacists include:Fill prescriptionsCheck whether the prescription will interact negatively Instruct patientsAdvise patients on potential side effectsAdvise patients about general health topics would be best

for a health problem Complete insurance forms and work with insurance

companiesOversee the work of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists

in trainingKeep recordsTeach other healthcare practitioners

Education

The pharmacist at Kroger, Bill, said that he would recommend attending a Community college first and then transferring to Pharmacy school

Melissa said there are about three years worth of course work that needs to be completed. She also said that the last year of pharmacy school is mostly rotating to different pharmacy settings

Pharmacy programs require postsecondary courses like chemistry, biology, and anatomy

2-3 years of undergraduate studiesPharm.D. programs usually take 4 years to

finishPharm.D. programs include courses in

pharmacology and medical ethics, and supervised work in different settings

Licensure/Certification

Must pass the IL Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE)

Must pass the NAPLEX, or North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination

Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Certificate needed

1500 Hours required practiceMust have official transcript with official seal

submitted by school directly to Board with translation

Work Environment

There are several different types of work environments including:

• Pharmacists and drug stores• Hospitals• Grocery stores• Department stores• Other general merchandise stores

Bill said that there is usually a steady flow of customers throughout the day although there can be periods of down time.

SALARY BY STATESALARY BY

EXPERIENCE

•Melissa Said that Pay can depend on what type of pharmacist you are.•Retail Pays higher but the hours are less flexible•Starting salary for retail= 90-100k •In retail, a full shift is usually 13 hours •The expected growth rate is 25% from 2010-2020

Skills/ Personal Characteristics

After talking with the other pharmacists I learned that the main skills a pharmacist needs are:

People skillsLike working with peopleBeing able to communicate with othersBeing able to think criticallyMaking sure everything is 100% accuratePATIENCE!!!

Organizations

Melissa said that she belonged to the

following organizations:

The American Pharmacists AssociationThe Illinois Pharmacists Association

Works Cited

 "Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Pharmacists.htm>.

 "Pharmacist Salary." - Pharmacist Salaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Pharmacist/Salary>.

"Pharmacist Salary." - Pharmacist Salaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Pharmacist/Salary#By state>.