What Does a Pharmacist Do?
Pharmacy is a multifaceted health care profession that encompasses the knowledge, skills, and technology required to prepare, store, and distribute medicines. Pharmacists fill prescriptions from doctors and other healthcare professionals and may also contribute to drug discovery and development. The profession requires a highly specialized set of competencies, and pharmacists work in a variety of healthcare settings including pharmacies, medical clinics, hospitals, and universities.
Pharmacy offers an exciting career opportunity that combines science, healthcare, business, and counseling. The field is constantly evolving, and pharmacists are at the forefront of many cutting-edge advances.
One of the most common duties is educating patients on how to take their medications and identifying potential side effects. This helps ensure patients are receiving the maximum benefit from their medication regimen and minimizes non-adherence. Non-adherence can lead to a wide range of healthcare issues, including waste of medications and hospital resources, increased cost of medical treatment, poor disease progression, and worsening quality of life. Pharmacists are also well-versed in the latest research in a number of clinical areas, including pharmacoinformatics and pharmacogenomics.
In addition to educating patients, pharmacy professionals are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and ensuring that drugs are safe and effective. This involves developing and managing pharmacy procedures, protocols, inventory, and disaster response plans. They also keep permanent records of drug treatments and evaluate patient outcomes to measure effectiveness and improve the healthcare experience.
Pharmacists are also experts in promoting disease state management and facilitating shared decision making between providers and their patients. This includes assessing for lower cost alternatives and avoiding polypharmacy. Finally, they are able to identify any gaps in patient care and notify the appropriate healthcare provider(s) of their findings.
Aside from being a valuable member of the healthcare team, pharmacy is an extremely rewarding career. If you are interested in pursuing this lucrative career, consider earning an accredited pharmacy degree from a top college such as Pacific’s PharmD program. Then, you can become a valuable part of any medical practice or organization that is looking to improve the healthcare experience and expand revenue streams.
The traditional brick-and-mortar model of the pharmacy is being challenged as more consumers turn to online options for their recurrent prescriptions. Virtual pharmacies offer a more seamless way for businesses to incorporate pharmacy services into their offerings and meet consumer demand for convenience and quality of care. However, they require the right partnership to be successful.
Pharmacy is a multifaceted health care profession that encompasses the knowledge, skills, and technology required to prepare, store, and distribute medicines. Pharmacists fill prescriptions from doctors and other healthcare professionals and may also contribute to drug discovery and development. The profession requires a highly specialized set of competencies, and pharmacists work in a variety of healthcare settings including pharmacies, medical clinics, hospitals, and universities. Pharmacy offers an exciting career opportunity that combines science, healthcare, business, and counseling. The field is constantly evolving, and pharmacists are at the forefront of many cutting-edge advances. One of the most common duties is educating patients on how to take their medications and identifying potential side effects. This helps ensure patients are receiving the maximum benefit from their medication regimen and minimizes non-adherence. Non-adherence can lead to a wide range of healthcare issues, including waste of medications and hospital resources, increased cost of medical treatment, poor disease progression, and worsening quality of life. Pharmacists are also well-versed in the latest research in a number of clinical areas, including pharmacoinformatics and pharmacogenomics. In addition to educating patients, pharmacy professionals are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and ensuring that drugs are safe and effective. This involves developing and managing pharmacy procedures, protocols, inventory, and disaster response plans. They also keep permanent records of drug treatments and evaluate patient outcomes to measure effectiveness and improve the healthcare experience. Pharmacists are also experts in promoting disease state management and facilitating shared decision making between providers and their patients. This includes assessing for lower cost alternatives and avoiding polypharmacy. Finally, they are able to identify any gaps in patient care and notify the appropriate healthcare provider(s) of their findings. Aside from being a valuable member of the healthcare team, pharmacy is an extremely rewarding career. If you are interested in pursuing this lucrative career, consider earning an accredited pharmacy degree from a top college such as Pacific’s PharmD program. Then, you can become a valuable part of any medical practice or organization that is looking to improve the healthcare experience and expand revenue streams. The traditional brick-and-mortar model of the pharmacy is being challenged as more consumers turn to online options for their recurrent prescriptions. Virtual pharmacies offer a more seamless way for businesses to incorporate pharmacy services into their offerings and meet consumer demand for convenience and quality of care. However, they require the right partnership to be successful.