Pharmacist

Contact: Marlene Doan
Office Manager/PROJECT coordinator

Pharmacists are experts in the medicines used to treat or prevent disease and their symptoms. They interpret and evaluate medication orders; compound, dispense, and administer drugs; and provide information to physicians and others about the selection of the best drug products for specific problems. Pharmacists help monitor patients' medications to avoid complications caused by the interactions and adverse effects of drugs. They also counsel and educate patients about medicines, and help them make informed choices.

Areas of Specialization:

These include community or retail pharmacy, clinical (hospital) pharmacy, consultant pharmacy, research and development, and pharmacotherapy.

Work Environment:

Pharmacists work in community retail pharmacies, or as members of teams of health care professionals in hospitals or nursing homes. Pharmacists may supervise pharmacy technicians and other employees. Some pharmacists work in industry or pharmaceutical and medical research firms.

Training:

Most pharmacy students now enter six-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs. Some schools still offer the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree, which usually takes five years to complete. Graduates of Bachelor of Science programs can return to school to complete the Doctor of Pharmacy Program in about two years.

Certification/Licensing:

To become licensed to practice pharmacy in Pennsylvania, a candidate must graduate from a school or college of pharmacy that is accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education, complete an internship, and pass an examination given by the State Board of Pharmacy.

Average Base Salary:

$58,000

Suggested High School Course of Study:

College preparatory curriculum.

Educational Programs:


Professional Associations:

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
1426 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 739-2330
(703) 836-8982 fax
www.aacp.org

American College of Clinical Pharmacy
3101 Broadway, Suite 380
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 531-2177
(816) 531-4990 fax
www.accp.org

American Pharmaceutical Society
2215 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20037-2985
(202) 628-4410
(202) 783-2351 fax
www.aphanet.org

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
7272 Wisconsin Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 657-3000
www.ashp.org

State Board of Pharmacy
PO Box 2649
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649
(717) 783-7156
(717) 787-7769 fac
www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/phabd.htm

Very good employment opportunities are expectd for pharmacists over the 2000-10 period because the number of degrees granted in pharmacy are not expected to be as numerous as the number of job openings created by employment growth and the need to replace pharmacists who retire or otherwise leave the occupation.

Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow faster than average (21% to 35%) for all occupations through the year 2010, due to the increased pharmaceutical needs of a larger and older population and greater use of medication. The growing numbers of middle-aged and elderly people - who, an average, use more prescription drugs than do younger people - will continue to spur demand for pharmacists in all practice settings. Other factors likely to increase the demand for pharmacists include scientific advances that will make more drug products available, new developments in genome research and medication distribution systems, and increasingly sophisticated consumers seeking more information about drugs.

Retail pharmacists are taking steps to increase their prescription volume to make up for declining dispensing fees. Automation of drug dispensing and greater use of pharmacy technicians and pharmacy aides will help them to dispense more prescriptions. The number of community pharmacists needed in the future will depend on the rate of expansion of chain drug stores and the willingness of insurers to reimburse pharmacists for providing clinical services to patients taking prescription medications. With its emphasis on cost control, managed care encourages growth of lower cost prescription drug distributors, such as mail-order firms, for certain medications. Faster than average employment growth is expected in retail pharmacies.

Employment in hospitals is expected to grow about as fast as average, as hospitals reduce inpatient stays, downsize, and consolidate departments. Pharmacy services are shifting to long-term, ambulatory, and home care settings, where opportunities for pharmacists will be best. New opportunities are merging for pharmacists in managed-care organizations, where they may analyze trends and patterns in medication use for their popluations of patients, and for pharmacists trained in research, disease management, and pharmacoeconomics - determining the costs and benefits of different drug therapies.

Cost-conscious insurers and health systems may contribute to emphasize the role of pharmacsits in primary and preventive health services. They realize that the expense of using medication to treat diseases and conditions often is considerably less than the potential cost for patients whose conditions go untreated. Pharmacists also can reduce the expenses resulting from unexpected complications due to allergic reactions to medication interactions.