Now, there will be crazy times where you will have to make sacrifices and do things you might not want to do (in terms of working weekends or something), but you will still have a lot more freedom than a pencil pusher at a big corporation. Use this opportunity to show your knowledge of running a profitable pharmacy, how to attract customers, keep expenses low and scale the business. You’ll Work with All Kinds of People. You have to get advanced degrees and jump through a ton of hoops to finally be able to call yourself a Pharmacist, so at the end of the day, people respect what pharmacists have to go through and the responsibility they take on to care for their patients. A great thing about being a pharmacist is you have the ability to move around because your job is everywhere. They, along with other private sector providers, run care homes for older people and adults and children with mental health, learning or physical disabilities, as well as hospitals and clinics. In the oncology department of a hospital, for example, the work of a pharmacist may center on preparing solutions such as chemotherapy. The reality of the situation is that as Pharmacists are increasingly tasked with new jobs or responsibilities as part of their training and skill development, Pharmacists are no longer locked into one position for the duration of their career. This technology didn’t exist nearly a decade ago, which highlights once again how Pharmacists have the opportunity to work with new technology and how that technology is evolving the Pharmacy career pathway continually. The job market outlook is bright. I wouldn't be too scared about the jobs going anywhere, and as far as other hospital jobs go, the medical industry is holding strong in America. Flexibility in your career means that you’re not going to be stationed in the same position for the span of your 30 or 40 year career. As a Pharmacist, you can expect to be compensated very well, with those numbers only expected to rise as you gain new training, experience, skills, and the demand continues to rise. The good news, luckily for you, many pharmacists start making at least $80,000 a year entry-level, which will help you pay those loans off pretty fast — a lot faster than the Ph.D. in Social Work could. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 5 Americans will be classified as elderly by 2050. Providing great patient care is probably the best thing you can do for the business side of pharmacy. The science and math part of working in the Pharmacy industry is that you have to understand how the human body responds to various forms of medication. I provide pharmacy services to patients within the intensive care units of the hospital as a member of a patient care team that includes physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, dietitians, social workers, case workers, and others. new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections, 6% rise in employment over the course of the next decade, more than 3.7 billion drugs are ordered or provide each year. This means that Pharmacists aren’t locked down to one career pathway. The aging workforce is going to be a major obstacle in the healthcare industry moving forward. While other healthcare roles might have a propensity to only work with a handful of individuals or be isolated, a career as a Pharmacist involves being very social and interactive with your patients and co-workers. This definitely wears out my eyes, and makes me want to look out the window or somewhere else. As a Pharmacist, you will frequently be tasked with reading charts with extensive calculations. Because the healthcare industry relies on experience, the ability to mentor others and educate them on the best techniques, tips, and tools of the trade is a unique opportunity that isn’t available in other healthcare roles. Pharmacists are educated to recognize signs and symptoms of diseases that may be used in a biological attack. Pharmacists are accessible in all healthcare settings: inpatient, ambulatory... 3. Have you always been passionate about certain topics when you were in school like science, technology, engineering, or math? It's a great field if you want to own your business and take your profession in the direction you want. The medical field is rewarding, but demanding. Part of the reason that Pharmacy and a career as a Pharmacist in general has become so flexible is due to the fact that the world of Pharmacy is changing as well. Pharmacists play a key role in helping patients feel better and get well as quickly as... 2. As a pharmacist you need to be equipped with the necessary skill to improve people’s health hence they form part of the team that addresses public health problems. It is for the strong of will and conviction and for the soul tender enough to appreciate the deep-rooted pain of human suffering. NHS trusts may also employ locum pharmacists to work in their hospital pharmacy departments. In some hospitals, however, there are opportunities for These charts and documents will help you evaluate whether or not you should intervene with prescription drugs or medication for various ailments. Pharmacists counsel patients on dosage, possible side effects and risks associated with each medicine and sometimes make hospital rounds with other medical staff to ensure that prescriptions are being properly administered. There are plenty of healthcare roles where you can impact patients indirectly, but being a Pharmacist isn’t one of them. A hospital pharmacist dispenses medications prescribed by doctors and often helps to determine the optimal delivery method, deciding if the medicine will be most effective through ingestion, injection, topical or intravenous delivery. Digital innovations in pharmacy include electronic prescriptions, robotics for central prescription processing and nationwide prescription monitoring programs, as well as pharmaceutical research. There is no shortage of career options for Pharmacists, and with the changes to the pharmaceutical jobs moving forward, those career options are only going to continually expand. Some healthcare professionals only work with some people in the community, whereas a pharmacist could be known by every person that gets their prescription filled by the place you work or own. As a Pharmacist, you can rest assured knowing that everything you are doing or every bit of care that you’re providing to your patients is the most efficient and reliable information that you can provide. If you want to be a pharmacist and have the opportunity to work closely with physicians and young patients, becoming a pediatric pharmacist may be the ideal career choice. To answer this question about switching from a retail pharmacy career to a hospital pharmacy career, I reached out to a pharmacist friend and fellow-blogger Eric Durbin. This is the part where you link your skills, experience, education and your personality to the job itself. While some pharmacists need to work at night, others can work a normal 9-5, Monday-Friday shift. In an epidemic or bioterror situation, pharmacists are prepared to play a major role in preventing the spread of disease and overseeing the distribution of appropriate and safe medications. Pharmacists can work in a myriad of professional settings. Pharmacists are collaborating with medical teams with greater frequency as the healthcare industry makes a push towards a more collaborative environment and team-based care. This provides you with more time to decide which pathway you want to follow or specialize in. Pharmacists play key leadership roles in all aspects of the healthcare system. For instance, Pharmacists now have the ability to transition into mentorship roles, managerial roles, executive roles, and different specialty roles. If you’re passionate about working with others and working as part of a team, and a larger healthcare organization — then you should become a Pharmacist. Autonomy is one of the best benefits any job could have, and as a Pharmacist, you have just that. Any healthcare job demands respect, but as a pharmacist, you are well known in your community and have the respect of the people you help. While working as a Pharmacist doesn’t always mean that you’re going to have autonomy in every situation. According to the BLS, the average salary for a pharmacist is $120,950 a year, which isn't too shabby. Whatever your reason is for wanting to become a pharmacist, PCOM School of Pharmacy can help you meet your professional goals. The demand is fueled by the following factors: Pharmacists work with other health care professionals to maximize health outcomes. As we mentioned earlier, Pharmacists can pursue a variety of career pathways. At that time, I wanted to be able to help other patients like her by knowing everything about these medications—I made it my personal dedication. As a result of these relationships and connections, you are then tasked with choosing the best medications for their ailments or conditions. In addition, Pharmacist graduates are receiving enhanced training and skills which allow them to be more versatile and fill a variety of healthcare roles. They may also consult with doctors about the correct dosage and appropriate form and time of administration, and make physicians aware of … Now that we’ve covered why you should potentially consider a career in Pharmacy, we’re going to highlight the top reasons you should become a Pharmacist. In the Pharmaceutical industry specifically, there are plenty of innovations that are changing the way Pharmacists interact with patients, develop prescriptions, or prescribe medication to patients in new ways. Eric has, in fact, made that transition in his own career and as such is especially qualified … © 2020 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Successful Academic Pharmacy Collaborations, Assessment & Accreditation Management System, Pharmacy Faculty Demographics and Salaries, Student Applications, Enrollments and Degrees Conferred, Pharm.D. 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