Working at a Pharmacy

By Sarah Jane Udall
Medical Healthcare Schools Columnist

As a pharmacist, pharmacy aide or pharmacy technician, you will serve as the person between the healthcare provider and their patients, helping them to get the medication they need, and teaching them how to take it properly.

Pharmacy Jobs

Pharmacies dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other healthcare practitioners to patients, and provide information to patients about their medications. Pharmacy jobs include certified pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy aids.

At Western School of Health and Business , you can get the real-world skills you need to launch a stable, rewarding, and exciting career in healthcare or business, two of the fastest growing industries.

To work as a pharmacist, you must have a license to practice. This certifies to your customers that you understand the use, clinical effects, and composition of drugs, including their chemical, biological, and physical properties, as well as any side effects that they may need to be aware of. Pharmacists are responsible for the accuracy of every prescription that is filled, and they often rely upon pharmacy technicians and pharmacy aides to assist them in the dispensing process.

Pharmacy technicians and pharmacy aides usually perform routine tasks to help the pharmacist prepare prescribed medication for patients. These duties can include counting tablets and labeling bottles. Any questions regarding prescriptions, dosages, possible side effects, drug interactions, or other health matters are usually referred to the pharmacist.

Qualifications

A license is required in all 50 states to work as a pharmacist. To obtain a license, you must graduate from a college of pharmacy and pass a qualifying examination. Courses offered at pharmacy schools are designed to teach you how to dispense prescriptions and communicate with patients and health care providers about drug information and patient care.

Pharmacy technician certification programs are also available at many vocational programs throughout the country. These programs typically include both classroom and laboratory work in a variety of areas, including medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, recordkeeping, and law and ethics. These programs are somewhat less demanding than a pharmacist’s program and do not require that you pass a qualifying exam.

Job Opportunities

Traditionally, most pharmacy jobs are available in a community setting such as a retail drugstore or in a healthcare facility, such as a hospital, nursing home, or health clinic.

About the Author:

Sarah Jane Udall is a freelance writer currently living in New York City. Her previous experience includes working for Global Village Communications in Washington, D.C., and in the Creative and Development departments of VH1 and MTV networks as a production assistant, and a copy-writer, as well as doing script revision, press releases, and writing for an online newspaper. Sarah Jane holds a B.S. in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Utah.

Posted on: September 26, 2005