Pharmacists dispense prescription medication to patients and advise them on how to use their medication safely and wisely. Some pharmacists offer additional services, such as offering health and wellness screenings, providing immunizations or counseling customers on how to create a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the day, the goal of a pharmacist is helping their customers live active, healthy lives with or without medicine.

A Day in the Life of a Pharmacist

As the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes, nearly half of pharmacists work in a pharmacy. Pharmacies are often standalone businesses, but they also commonly reside inside grocery stores and drug stores.

A pharmacist career can also be spent working in hospitals and clinics, which provides a different work environment. While pharmacists who work in pharmacies may deal with a wide range of consumers, pharmacists who work in hospitals tend to have less contact with consumers.

Either way, the basic job duties of pharmacists are the same. Here are some of the main tasks these workers do on a daily basis:

  • Filling prescriptions and verifying customers are getting the exact amount of medication they need
  • Checking prescriptions for customers to make sure medicine won't interact with other drugs the patient is taking
  • Counseling patients on how to take their medications
  • Telling patients about potential side effects from the medication
  • Giving flu shots and other immunizations
  • Teaching other health care practitioners about medication
  • Keeping records of patient medication details
  • Overseeing pharmacy technicians who work with them
  • Completing insurance paperwork regarding the coverage of prescribed drugs
  • Advising patients about their general health and how to improve it

Some pharmacists may also be business owners. In that case, they may spend time managing the more practical aspects of running a business. They might balance their business accounts, work on advertising or marketing, or deal with inventory.

In either case, it is important to note that most pharmacists spend the bulk of their time dealing with patients and various types of medicine. Their day might be different depending on whom they come in contact with, but their duties are mostly the same.

Important Characteristics for Pharmacists

Beyond the pharmacist education they acquire before becoming licensed, pharmacists need an array of important skills in order to provide medications both safely and efficiently. They need analytical skills and extensive knowledge of various medical topics, for example. They need communication skills in order to speak with patients and co-workers, and they need extreme attention to detail so they don't make any mistakes.

Most pharmacists also need computer skills and managerial skills in order to run their offices efficiently.

Typical Steps for Becoming a Pharmacist

Because pharmacists need to be highly skilled and knowledgeable to do their jobs, they spend many years in school before they can get started in this profession. Here are the typical steps required to break into this line of work:

1. Earn a high school diploma. Before you can move on to earn an undergraduate degree or pursue a degree at pharmacy schools, it is essential to earn a high school diploma.

2. Earn an undergraduate degree in a related field. While it is possible to earn an undergraduate degree in pre-pharmacy, not all schools offer this option. In that case, you can choose to earn an undergraduate degree in a related field such as general sciences, chemistry or microbiology.

3. Take required postsecondary courses. The majority of pharmacy programs require students to take undergraduate courses in related topics like chemistry, biology and physics.

4. Earn a pharmacy degree. Pharmacists are required to have a pharmacy degree, or a Pharm.D. You can earn this degree and start your pharmacy career at one of the 128 pharmacist schools that offers Doctor of Pharmacy programs fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Pharm.D. programs typically take three or four years to finish, and that is in addition to all undergraduate education.

5. Become licensed in your state. All pharmacists need to become licensed to work in their state, typically by completing two licensing exams: the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE). Some states also require pharmacists to work as an intern for a length of time that varies from state to state. Some pharmacists may choose to earn additional certification in a specific area of knowledge, such as diabetes, nutrition or oncology.

Sources:

  • Pharmacists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-24 Edition, Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm
  • Pharm.D. Frequently Asked Questions, Oregon State University, http://pharmacy.oregonstate.edu/pharm-d-frequently-asked-questions

Pharmacist Education Overview and Career Guide Skills

Below are the skills needed to be pharmacist education overview and career guide according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Skill NameImportanceCompetence
Reading Comprehension4.124.88
Active Listening44.25
Critical Thinking3.884.38
Instructing3.883.88
Monitoring3.884.25

Pharmacist Education Overview and Career Guide Abilities

Below are the abilities needed to be pharmacist education overview and career guide according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Ability NameImportanceCompetence
Oral Comprehension4.254.75
Written Comprehension4.254.62
Near Vision4.124.62
Oral Expression4.124.62
Problem Sensitivity4.124.12

Pharmacist Education Overview and Career Guide Knowledge

Below are the knowledge areas needed to be pharmacist education overview and career guide according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 7 being highest).

   
Knowledge AreaImportanceCompetence
Medicine and Dentistry4.284.53
Customer and Personal Service4.095.03
Mathematics3.824.37
Chemistry3.744.64
English Language3.653.55

Pharmacist Education Overview and Career Guide Work activities

Below are the work activities involved in being pharmacist education overview and career guide according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest) and competency level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).

   
Work ActivityImportanceCompetence
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.735.77
Interacting With Computers4.613.8
Getting Information4.594.53
Processing Information4.565.64
Documenting/Recording Information4.414.19

Pharmacist Education Overview and Career Guide Work styles

Below are the work styles involved in being pharmacist education overview and career guide according to their importance on the scale of 1 to 5 (1 being lowest and 5 being highest).

   
Work StyleImportance
Attention to Detail4.84
Integrity4.68
Dependability4.67
Stress Tolerance4.62
Concern for Others4.59

Metro Areas Sorted by Total Employment for
Pharmacist Education Overview and Career Guide

Listed below are the 10 largest metro areas based on the total number of people employed in Pharmacist Education Overview and Career Guide jobs , as of 2019

   
Metro AreaTotal EmploymentAnnual Mean Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim13,070$141,570
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington6,850$120,390
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale6,080$123,160
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach5,770$122,060
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land5,420$127,070
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell4,880$124,350
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn4,110$118,790
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward3,880$148,390
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater3,700$123,440
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue3,310$126,690

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Total employment and salary for professions similar to pharmacists

Source : 2019 Occupational Employment Statistics and 2018-28 Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov; O*NET® 24.3 Database, O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, onetonline.org

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Numbers in parentheses are counts of relevant campus-based schools in the state; online schools may also be available.