Scope as a Pharmacist
Clinical Pharmacists
With the introduction of Master course in pharmacy practice of clinical services in the hospitals geared up.
A further boost to the clinical pharmacist is the introduction of the 6 year pharm D. programme in India from 2008 to prepare clinical pharmacists with specialization in patient care services.
The clinical pharmacist works with physicians and attend ward rounds, and contribute towards adverse Drug Reaction monitoring, treatment chart reviews, making suggestion in therapy, taking medication histories, providing drug and poison information etc. It’s most common for clinical pharmacists to work in medical clinics or hospitals where they will see patients. They benefit from having good interpersonal and communication skills because interacting with patients and other medical professionals is a regular part of their job. Physical fitness is important since they spend much of their time at work standing.
Job responsibilities of a clinical pharmacist include:
- Evaluating for untreated health issues
- Performing medical tests on patients
- Ensuring patients receive the correct medications
- Advising patients about health-related matters
- Tracking the progress of patients
Hospital Pharmacists
Practice of pharmacy inside a hospital close to the patient where doctors, nurses interact with the pharmacists on matters related to medicines, surgicals, and other patient care items required. Hospital pharmacists work in hospitals and provide medications to patients. They should have good communication skills since their work involves interacting with doctors and other medical professionals regularly. They also need to be able to prioritize their duties because they involve a wide range of tasks including storage and dispensing of medicines. Attention to detail is important because they must be precise when filling prescriptions.
Job responsibilities of a hospital pharmacist include:
- Preparing IV prescription medications
- Providing information to medical staff
- Ensuring the medication is safe for the patient
- Filling out paperwork
- Monitoring and ordering inventory
Unlike pharmacists in retail settings, hospital pharmacists don’t typically spend the majority of their workday filling prescriptions. Instead, these professionals assist in direct patient care in hospital settings. This might include making rounds with health care practitioners; conducting minor medical tests, like glucose tests and cholesterol screenings; and giving patients advice about medications and healthy lifestyle choices. They also might recommend particular drugs and intravenous admixtures, including dosage amount, and ensure that those medications are given at the right time each day.
Educational Requirements | Doctor of Pharmacy |
Job Skills | Detail-oriented, computer skills, communication skills, ability to work with patients of all ages, management and mentoring skills |
After graduating from pharmacy school and completing a set number of internship hours, prospective hospital pharmacists must earn state licensure. In certain states, pharmacists also must be certified if they administer immunizations and vaccinations.
Community i.e. Retail Pharmacist
Qualification: One should have passed 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks in physics, chemistry and biology/math. Diploma in pharmacy (D. Pharm) or a Bachelor degree in pharmacy.
Job responsibilities of a retail pharmacist include:
- Managing inventory storage of medicines and allied products.
- Prescription handling, checking for correction, safety
- Dispensing of medicines
- Patient counselling and demonstration of medical services
- Maintaining patient and medication records
- Disease prevention and nutrition advices
- Doing screening test
- Responding to symptoms and recommending medicines for simple ailments