While most people think of pharmacists as the people behind the counter filling prescriptions at CVS, there is actually a wide variety of job options within the pharmacy field

Are you stuck in a job that makes you want to dive back under the covers in the morning?

Are you ready for a career change but have no idea what else you can do, or where to begin?

Or are you just starting out, looking for a profession you hope will suit your strengths?

What are the options out there, and what’s the job really like?

So, you want to be a…

pharmacist?

What will I be doing all day?

A pharmacist fills medical prescriptions, verifies that the medication and dosage entered in the computer system is correct, and ensures that it will not interact negatively with any other drugs the patient may be taking, or with a patient’s medical condition.

The pharmacist also instructs patients how to take their meds and informs them about some common side effects and how to mitigate them. The job also includes educating other medical professionals about various medications and the appropriate drug therapy for their patients. In some settings, part of the job includes overseeing and training pharmacy interns.

Other job responsibilities include filing insurance forms and being in contact with insurance companies to ensure patients are covered for the appropriate medications. Pharmacists may also administer certain vaccines, such as the flu shot.

What can I expect to earn?

Some median full-time salaries:

Pharmacies and drugstores: $125,910

Hospitals: $129,740

What kinds of settings can I work in?

While most people think of pharmacists as the people who stand behind the counter filling prescriptions at the local CVS, there is actually a wide variety of job options within the pharmacy field. Some common ones include:

Community Pharmacists — They work in retail drugstores, either small, independently-owned ones or large national chains. They fill prescriptions, provide over-the-counter medications, and provide information to customers about the medicines.

Clinical Pharmacists — These pharmacists work in healthcare settings such as hospitals and clinics. They recommend medications for patients and are responsible for managing the administration of the medicines, including the dosage and timing. They counsel patients about their medications and also educate and advise the medical staff about pharmaceuticals.

Pharmaceutical Industry Pharmacists — These professionals work for pharmaceutical companies in research and development of new drugs. They may design and conduct clinical trials or write up educational materials about the drugs.

What kind of schooling do I need?

In order to become a pharmacist, one must earn a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from an accredited post-graduate program. Most programs take four years to complete (though some have a three-year option) and require undergraduate prerequisites such as chemistry, biology, and physics. Many programs also require applicants to take the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT). After earning a Pharm.D., one must pass both a national and a state licensing exam in order to become a licensed pharmacist.

Do I have the personality for it?

A good pharmacist is someone who is detail-oriented (this is essential, as the job depends on paying attention to every detail of every medicine order), analytical, personable, and a good communicator, in both oral and written communications. You also need to be good at science and math, and to be prepared for a lot of memorization during the schooling.

TALES FROM THE TRENCHES

THREE PHARMACISTS DESCRIBE THE HIGHLIGHTS AND THE CHALLENGES

SHIRA REISMAN, Edison, NJ
Pharmacist in Long-Term Care Pharmacy, Somerset, NJ
Graduated from Rutgers University School of Pharmacy
Years in Field, 9

MY TYPICAL DAY AT WORK

I work at a large long-term care pharmacy, which is a pharmacy that exclusively services nursing homes. People can’t just walk in off the street and fill prescriptions. We have contracts with several nursing homes, for whom we fill medication orders, review them for accuracy, and package and deliver them. Our delivery drivers go out three times a day.

Staff pharmacists rotate through the various pharmacy departments with different daily tasks. Some of the departments include the call center, where pharmacists answer medication inquiries from nurses and doctors, and the IV and narcotics departments, where the pharmacist checks IV and narcotic orders for the nursing home residents.

WHAT IT MEANS TO VERIFY MEDICATIONS

When we get a prescription, we first verify that the order was entered correctly in the pharmacy’s computer system. Next, we check that the prescription is safe for the patient, in terms of dosage, interactions, and allergies. We do an additional verification after the medicine is packaged, to make sure that the correct medication is in the bottle, with proper warning labels.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MIX-UPS OCCUR

Unfortunately, every pharmacist who’s been working long enough has had a mistake occur on the job where the wrong medication was given. The pharmacist contacts the patient or nursing home ASAP to prevent further doses from being administered. If necessary, a doctor will get involved in the error management to determine if further monitoring or treatment is necessary.

It’s rare for a really serious error to occur because pharmacists are aware of the specific medications that carry the greatest risk, and they’re very diligent about checking those orders carefully. Although I’ve made errors, thankfully it was nothing that caused any harm to a patient.

WHY I CHOSE THE PHARMACY PROFESSION

Science and medicine were my favorite subjects. I would have wanted to be a doctor if not for the impracticality and cost of so many years of schooling.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT THE FIELD

I love that there are always new drugs to learn about. The newer drugs, in particular, are more complex and fascinating. Most drugs are relatively small molecules that plug up a site where an enzyme binds to prevent its action or prevent it from being broken down. The most exciting new drugs are gene therapies — very large molecules (usually administered by injection) that deliver a working copy of a gene to a patient whose cells have a genetic defect. One example of this is Zolgensma, which enables babies with a specific type of muscular dystrophy to produce a protein that they are lacking for muscle survival.

There’s also a relatively new class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies (MABs). There are new MABs coming out every month, for different diseases. They’re especially useful to treat cancer, because they can bind to a specific cancer cell without affecting the whole body, the way chemotherapy does.