• Work in hospitals, clinics, health departments, universities, and drug, discount and grocery stores.
• Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners.
• Review prescriptions to validate accuracy; often compare with patient’s records to avoid harmful drug interactions.
• Advise physicians and other practitioners about drug selection, dosages, interactions and side effects.
• Answer questions about prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs.
• In some cases, may actually prepare medications by weighing, measuring and mixing ingredients.

Education/Training

• Challenging college prep courses in high school, including English, science and math.
• In the United States, a license to practice pharmacy is required.  Licensure requires graduation from an accredited college of pharmacy, internship under a licensed pharmacist, and passing a state licensure exam.
• Pharmacy programs grant Doctor of Pharmacy degrees (Pharm D), which require at least two years of pre-pharmacy college-level education prior to admittance to the four-year pharmacy program.  Some colleges require applicants to take the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (P-CAT).  The Pharm D degree replaces the Bachelor of Science degree, which will no longer be awarded in pharmacy after 2005.
• After completing the Pharm D degree, some pharmacists may choose to go on for a Master of Science or PhD degree.

Salary

• Average $58,000 - $82,500, depending on industry and geographic location.

   

More Information

• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
  1426 Prince Street
  Alexandria, VA 22314
  703-739-2330
  http://www.aacp.org
  

• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
  700 Busse Highway
  Park Ridge, IL 60068
  http://www.nabp.net
  

• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
  7272 Wisconsin Avenue
  Bethesda, MD 20814
  301-657-300
  http://www.ashp.org