Nature of work and role of pharmacists
- Pharmacists distribute drugs to doctors for prescribed medication
- Pharmacists advise patients and healthcare providers on medication selection, dosages, interactions, and side effects
- Pharmacists act as intermediaries between prescribers and patients
- Pharmacists monitor patients' health and progress to ensure safe and effective medication use
- Pharmacists may practice compounding and have prescriptive authority in some jurisdictions
Pharmaceutical care and its benefits
- Pharmacists take direct responsibility for patients, their disease states, and medication management
- Pharmaceutical care benefits include decreased medication errors and increased patient compliance
- Pharmacists play a role in managing chronic diseases like hypertension
- Pharmaceutical care fosters a strong pharmacist-patient relationship
- Pharmaceutical care can lead to decreased long-term costs of medical care
Pharmacy education and licensing
- Pharmacists obtain a degree from a pharmacy school or related institution
- Pre-professional coursework followed by about four years of professional academic studies is required
- Pharmacists are educated in various subjects including pharmacology, biochemistry, and pharmaceutics
- Upon graduation, pharmacists are licensed to dispense medication in their trained areas
- Accreditation and registration requirements vary between countries and regions
Pharmacy practices in different countries
- Australia: Australian Pharmacy Council accredits Australian pharmacists, clinical placements are compulsory, continuing education programs provided by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
- Canada: Canadian Pharmacists Association is the national professional organization, requirements for practice vary across provinces, 10 universities offering pharmacy programs
- Germany: Divided into three sections of education and training, state examination required after each section, pharmacists work as employees in public pharmacies
- Japan: Pharmacists were highly respected in ancient Japan, contemporary practice focuses on dispensing drugs and consultation with patients, linked to decreases in drug costs and adverse drug events
- Nigeria: Five-year course, transition to a 6-year Pharm.D degree, tutelage under a registered pharmacist before becoming licensed, regulated by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria
Pharmacy practices in additional countries
- Pakistan: Pharm.D degree, 21 universities registered with the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan, department of pharmacy at the University of Peshawar offers the program
- Poland: 5+12-year Master of Pharmacy Programme, pharmaceutical technicians allowed to dispense prescription medicines, pharmacy managers responsible for marketing and traditional activities
- Sweden: Regulated by the national board of health and welfare, minimum educational requirements of five years of university studies, pharmacists work with prescriptionists at pharmacies
- Switzerland: Federal office of public health regulates pharmacy practice, four Swiss universities offer pharmaceutical studies, major in pharmaceutical studies takes at least five years
- Tanzania: Pharmacy practice regulated by the national Pharmacy Board, low density of pharmacists, majority employed in the public sector
- Trinidad and Tobago: Pharmacy practice regulated by the Pharmacy Board, University of the West Indies offers a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, graduates undergo a 6-month internship, registered pharmacists can become responsible pharmacists
- United Kingdom: Pharmacists work in hospital pharmacy or community pharmacy, pharmacist independent prescriber role recognized, regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council
- United States: Majority of pharmacists work in retail settings, all graduating pharmacists must obtain the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, accreditation council accredits schools of pharmacy, specialization and credentialing options available
Pharmacist Data Sources
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Glossary | https://www.alternix.com/blogs/glossary-of-terms/pharmacist |
| Wikipedia | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacist |
| Wikidata | https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105186 |
| Knowledge Graph | https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/01bc07 |
