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PHARMACISTS By Omar Hamid
Essay: For my project I chose the career of pharmacy. I will be discussing the training and education needed to become a pharmacist, the potential earnings of pharmacists, their expected job prospects, what pharmacists do on their jobs, their working conditions, and how science plays a role in a pharmacist’s career. To begin with I will be talking about the training and education needed prior to and after becoming a pharmacist. A typical pharmacist needs a minimum of two years of undergraduate college study with courses including math, chemistry, biology, physics, humanities, and social sciences; although most students usually complete 3 or more years. Afterwards, the student attends four years of graduate school to earn a Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) degree from an accredited college or school of pharmacy. In addition, if the pharmacist wants to pursue a higher education, he or she may complete a year of residency, or a general practice in pharmacy to earn a post doctorate degree, and subsequently a year of subspecialty in oncology, cardiology, or critical care. Lastly, pharmacists who want to own their own pharmacy need to acquire a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). The pharmacist income average depends on where he or she works. Retail pharmacists are the highest paid with full-time pharmacists making an average income of $102,336 and part-time pharmacist making $55,589. Department store pharmacist are the next highest paid at $99,050. Grocery store pharmacists make an average of $95,600, pharmacies and drug stores an average of $94,640, and general medical and surgical hospitals an average of $93,640. Several job opportunities come with being a pharmacist. The demand for pharmacists is high and is expected to remain so until 2016, this is due to the need to replace workers and to further help increase the life expectancy of people, thus increasing the need for medication. Pharmacist earnings are high as well, but some pharmacists work nights, weekends, and/or holidays to earn higher pay. Furthermore, pharmacists’ roles have changed dramatically over the past several years, as pharmacists are becoming more involved in patient counseling and developing drug therapy programs. Pharmacist’s main duties are to dispense medications, educate patients about their health and medication, and inform physicians on the selection, dosages and drug interactions of medications. Also, clinical pharmacists assist patients with conditions such as diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation, or high blood pressure. Most pharmacists work approximately 40 hours a week, in clean and healthy environment; however, it requires a lot of standing. They also work nights, weekends, and holidays. Last but not least, the career of pharmacy requires a vast amount of knowledge about the human body and the chemistry of medications.
Interview with Hind Hamid: Q: What education is needed to become a pharmacist? A: I had an undergraduate degree in biology, four years of graduate school, and 1 year of residency. Q: What do pharmacists earn on average annually? A: An average of a $100,000 annually. Starter pharmacists earn just about as much as experienced pharmacists. Q: What are the expected job prospects of pharmacy? A: The demand is very high for pharmacists. Especially for retail pharmacists. Q: What does a typical pharmacist do in his or her job? A: I dispense, compound, and manage medications, council patients, answer drug information questions for doctors, and run a diabetes clinic, smoking cessation clinic, and an asthma clinic. Q: What are the working conditions for modern pharmacists? A: We work in a clean, respected, and well lighted environment. Q: How does science play into the role of pharmacy? A: In order to understand how drugs react in the body, you have to know the human anatomy and the chemistry of the drugs as well as their reactions in the body.
Bibliography: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/pharmacist.htm Hind Hamid: pharmacist
