What the work is
A pharmacist works in a pharmacy, a pharmaceutical warehouse or a factory. In a pharmacy they dispense prescription and over-the-counter medicines, check that prescriptions are correct, advise on how to take a medicine and what not to combine it with, and look after storage conditions and expiry dates. In production and laboratories, pharmacists control the quality of medicines.
A typical day
Receiving a delivery and checking expiry dates. Serving customers: dispensing prescriptions and advising on over-the-counter products. Politely declining to sell a prescription-only medicine without a prescription. Checking possible interactions for an elderly patient on several medicines. Stock-keeping and ordering.
How to start
- Get a pharmacy qualification: pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, drug technology.
- Do a placement in a pharmacy: working with people matters as much as knowing medicines.
- Learn the rules for dispensing and storing medicines.
- Keep up with new medicines and guidance.
Related professions
Nurse, laboratory technician, general practitioner, customer service specialist.