Pharmacy – Making the Most of this Rewarding Career

The healthcare industry offers a host of career opportunities for those who have a strong passion for helping people every hour of the day and establish a successful career. One of the hottest career options is stepping into the field of pharmacy. A career in this field brings you great job satisfaction, professional growth and financial rewards. There is a growing demand for pharmacists in hospitals, clinics, nursing care facilities etc. To make the most of your pharmacy careers, you need to be formally educated and trained. Below, we discuss about multiple fields of pharmaceuticals and career opportunities in this growing field of health care industry.

 

Career Options in the field of Pharmacy
The twenty first century brings a lot of benefits to those who aspire to become pharmacists. These professionals work in a wide range of areas. Most of the people believe that a pharmacist's career is just about counting pills. This is a wrong notion. Today's pharmacists have a number of job duties to perform beyond just working behind the counter.

 

Given below are diverse career possibilities that the pharmaceutical industry offers. Trained pharmacists can choose to work in the following areas.

 

Community Pharmacy
Hospital Pharmacy
Academic Pharmacy
Consultant Pharmacy
Clinical Research & Development
Public Health Services
Retail Pharmacy

 

Career Specialization
The areas mentioned above are generalized categories of the pharmaceutical industry. Formally educated and trained pharmacists can also choose to specialize in a specific field depending on their job skills, interest and experience. These special career opportunities include Nuclear Pharmacy, Oncology Pharmacy, Forensic Pharmacy, Pharmaco Therapy, Geriatric Pharmacy, Nutrition Support Pharmacy, Psychiatric Pharmacy etc.

 

Pharmacists Job Duties
There is a lot more to a career in pharmacy than just working behind the counter and counting pills. Being a thriving occupation, the pharmaceutical industry has made a great impact on the health care system. Pharmacists are responsible for offering information and counseling patients so that the latter can efficiently manage their medication therapy.

 

Formally trained and professionally trained, today's pharmacists are considered to be expert health care professional. Besides offering information and advice to patients, these professionals are also responsible for handling research and manufacture of a wide range of medication drugs. Their job duties may vary depending on the career possibility they choose. For example, pharmacists who work in hospitals assist the physicians by handling tasks like drug composition, their dosage, effects and side effects. They advise patients on the appropriate use of medications and how to avoid the side effects that drug medications may cause.

 

Pharmacists who are employed in the pharmaceutical industry work for pharmacy companies. In these companies, they are responsible for conducting researches, studying, analyzing and testing of various drugs. In addition, they may also handle the marketing and promotion of specific medication products. Candidates who aspire to work in pharmaceutical companies should possess a post graduate degree in pharmacy.

 

Educational Qualification & Training
Pharmacists who are employed in the United States possess a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Earlier, a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree was awarded to students. However, the Doctor of Pharmacy degree is the present replacement of the bachelor degree. To get enrolled in a Pharm.D. program, candidates need to complete two years of specific professional study including courses in mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics etc. A Doctor of Pharmacy degree usually requires four years for completion. Candidates who aspire to work with pharmaceutical companies and acquire management job positions obtain a master's degree in business administration (MBA).

 

Besides having a degree in pharmacy, candidates also need to obtain a license to practice pharmacy, depending on the state where they work. To acquire the license, students first need to complete a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited pharmacy college, approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

 

Employment Facts
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, pharmacists in the US occupied around 269,900 jobs in the year 2008. Most of these jobs were in the field of retail pharmacy. Rests of the professionals were employed in hospitals, clinics, physician's office, federal government etc. Job prospects are excellent in this field, with the employment growth being faster than the average of all other occupations.

 

Annual Salary
A pharmacy career does not bring greater job satisfaction, but it is a financially rewarding career as well. In the year 2008, the median annual salary of pharmacists was around $106,410. Most of the professional earn an annual salary ranging between $92,670 and $121,310. The salary of experienced pharmacists can go up to $131,440 annually.