Pharmacists are people who have an interest in working in the health care industry but who do not wish to treat their own patients. Pharmacists are medicinal experts, and it takes a great deal of schooling to obtain a pharmacy license. Pharmacists work in convenience stores, like RiteAid and CVS, hospitals, and privately owned drug stores. A pharmacist can even work in his own pharmacy.
• In order to become a pharmacist, one must complete six years of school upon high school graduation. It sounds like a long time, but bear in mind that pharmacy careers pay almost as much as physician careers. A potential pharmacist must obtain a doctor of pharmacy degree, which requires two years of pre-pharmacy school coupled with four years of pharmacy school. The curriculum at most pharmacy schools includes courses in physiology and pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology and toxicology. It is recommended to aspiring pharmacists to take classes that relate to math and/or the medical field while still in high school since these classes can help a student keep up with collegiate prerequisites.
• Once a student passes the basic lecture type classes in pharmacy school, he or she can move on to the labs. Pharmacy students learn to identify risk factors for disease, analyzing data based on treatment options for each illness. Pharmacy students learn how different drugs interact with each other in the body, and how to recognize and avoid potential prescription drug problems in patients. Other courses include ethics, management, pharmacy law, communications, and public health. Each of these is essential to pharmacy careers.
• Like physicians, pharmacy students are required to do internships before completing college. These internships are usually assigned by the school, performed under the supervision of professionals in the field. These internships are accomplished within the last year of pharmacy school, providing soon to be pharmacists with much needed real world experience before beginning pharmacy careers. After the end of the final year, the graduate will receive a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. But, before a person can begin to practice, he or she must be accredited by the state in which he or she resides. There are a few exams the pharmacist must pass in order to receive full licensure. They are the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination and the Multi-state Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam. In some areas there is even an additional state exam. After passing these exams, a person if free to refer to him or herself as a fully qualified pharmacist.
Pharmacy careers are rewarding, but they are also fast paced and high stress. Everyone has had to wait on line at a pharmacy at some point in the past. When people are sick, they are also impatient. It is normal for a pharmacist to feel pressure when trying to meet everyone’s needs at the same time. People who are interested in pharmacy careers need to be highly motivated in order to deal with the demands of their work. It takes a special kind of person to work in a pharmacy, but overall, it’s worth it.