What Does a Pharmacist Do?
Pharmacy is an important profession that deals with the proper use, storage, and delivery of medicine. Pharmacists are trained to advise on drug use, answer questions about medicines, and fill prescriptions written by physicians or other healthcare professionals. They are also involved in the research and testing of new medicines. They may work in pharmacies, medical clinics, hospitals, and universities. Some also own their own businesses.
Pharmacists are well-qualified to answer most medical or drug-related questions and will be able to give you a full medication history of yourself and your family. They will be able to tell you what each pill is for and how to take them, as well as explain any side effects that might be associated with your medication. They can also help you with your vitamin and mineral needs, if necessary.
The first modern pharmacy school was opened in the mid-nineteenth century and followed on from the development of formal educational courses for physicians. Since then, many schools of pharmacy have been established in the developed world. Some are part of colleges, while others are independent organizations or private companies.
There are now more than 50,000 pharmacists in the UK, who can be found in every community. They are experts in medicines, vaccines, and medical devices. In the future, the pharmaceutical industry has plans to create medicines that will prevent diseases, or even cure them before they develop, and improve the effectiveness of existing treatments.
In some countries, the term apothecary is still used to describe the profession, although the practice has become more scientific and professional. The word ‘pharmacy’ is derived from the Greek
Throughout history, people have used plants and other natural substances as medicines, and the practice of professional pharmacy began to be separate from that of the physician in the Middle Ages. It was in America that the practice became more formal, and Benjamin Franklin played a pivotal role in keeping the two professions separate.
There is now a wide range of pharmacy-related qualifications, from an associate’s degree to a PhD. The qualifications can be gained through university-based programs or through private institutions, such as the College of Pharmacy at Long Island University, which traces its roots back to 1886.
The pharmacy profession is a knowledge-based one, and the development of its practitioners requires an ongoing commitment to learning and to research. It is therefore vital that the education of pharmacists includes an element of’re-thinking science’, whereby students learn to challenge existing scientific paradigms and to question the basis of all claims to knowledge.
In the future, specialists in a field called pharmacogenomics will be able to identify variations in an individual’s genes that will affect their response to a given drug. This information will be useful for both the pharmacy profession and other health care providers, who will then be able to tailor drug treatment to each patient’s unique genetic makeup, in order to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse effects.
Pharmacy is an important profession that deals with the proper use, storage, and delivery of medicine. Pharmacists are trained to advise on drug use, answer questions about medicines, and fill prescriptions written by physicians or other healthcare professionals. They are also involved in the research and testing of new medicines. They may work in pharmacies, medical clinics, hospitals, and universities. Some also own their own businesses. Pharmacists are well-qualified to answer most medical or drug-related questions and will be able to give you a full medication history of yourself and your family. They will be able to tell you what each pill is for and how to take them, as well as explain any side effects that might be associated with your medication. They can also help you with your vitamin and mineral needs, if necessary. The first modern pharmacy school was opened in the mid-nineteenth century and followed on from the development of formal educational courses for physicians. Since then, many schools of pharmacy have been established in the developed world. Some are part of colleges, while others are independent organizations or private companies. There are now more than 50,000 pharmacists in the UK, who can be found in every community. They are experts in medicines, vaccines, and medical devices. In the future, the pharmaceutical industry has plans to create medicines that will prevent diseases, or even cure them before they develop, and improve the effectiveness of existing treatments. In some countries, the term apothecary is still used to describe the profession, although the practice has become more scientific and professional. The word ‘pharmacy’ is derived from the Greek (pharmakon) meaning remedy. Throughout history, people have used plants and other natural substances as medicines, and the practice of professional pharmacy began to be separate from that of the physician in the Middle Ages. It was in America that the practice became more formal, and Benjamin Franklin played a pivotal role in keeping the two professions separate. There is now a wide range of pharmacy-related qualifications, from an associate’s degree to a PhD. The qualifications can be gained through university-based programs or through private institutions, such as the College of Pharmacy at Long Island University, which traces its roots back to 1886. The pharmacy profession is a knowledge-based one, and the development of its practitioners requires an ongoing commitment to learning and to research. It is therefore vital that the education of pharmacists includes an element of’re-thinking science’, whereby students learn to challenge existing scientific paradigms and to question the basis of all claims to knowledge. In the future, specialists in a field called pharmacogenomics will be able to identify variations in an individual’s genes that will affect their response to a given drug. This information will be useful for both the pharmacy profession and other health care providers, who will then be able to tailor drug treatment to each patient’s unique genetic makeup, in order to maximize efficacy and minimize adverse effects.