Pharmacists: Helping Others Is What They Do

Courtney Nelson

Miss. Roscoe

11th Grade Advanced English

November 9, 2006

Pharmacists: Helping others is What They Do

Many people regard pharmacists as the hardest workers who receive the least amount of respect. Today, the most difficult part of being a pharmacist is not the job, rather the school and training required for certification. A career in pharmacy also requires many personal qualities that you cannot obtain. Although a career in the Pharmaceutical industry would require a large amount of work often with little respect, the reward of knowing you helped others would be worth the hard work. Pharmacists work hard throughout all of the aspects of their job, including school and the workplace.

"Pharmacists serve society as the health professional most knowledgeable about the proper use of medicines." (www.act.org) Pharmacists have the responsibility of advising doctors on dosage, possible side effects and selection of drugs. (Schulz) They must know how drugs work and react with a person's body as well as how they will react with other drugs. A pharmacist should inform people of how a drug will work and if the drug could lead to any possible side effects. (Pharmacists Morkes) Pharmacists are the most qualified professionals able to advise patients, doctors, and anyone else about the effects of certain drugs on the human race.

Advising people about drugs and interacting with people is the most entertaining component of the job for most people. The dispensing of the drugs is the most important aspect of the job. The main job of a pharmacist is to dispense drugs prescribed by doctors. (www.act.org) They must count out the pills precisely and make accurate labels with instructions for dosage and side effects on them (Schulzs). The must also order and purchase new pharmaceutical supplies to keep their pharmacy up to date. Pharmacists must keep up-to-date records of the drugs in stock as well as files of each customer. (Pharmacists)

Pharmacists must receive at least a doctorate degree, with a major in pharmacy in order to obtain eligibility for a pharmacy license. (The Pharmacy Technician) The degree must be from an accredited college. In previous years the majority of pharmacists would attend school in an undergraduate program with a focus on Pre-Pharmacy for one to two years. Then they would attend graduate school at an accredited school of pharmacy for four years. (Morkes) Now, in order to get into pharmacy school you must have a four-year diploma before you can attend pharmacy school. (The Pharmacy Technician)

A degree with a focus in pre-pharmacy and a degree in Pharmacy require many difficult courses. Students in the pre-pharmacy program must take, calculus, statistics, microbiology, general chemistry, english composition, psychology, and economics. Many of these classes, taken as freshmen or sophomores in college, are classes in the three hundreds. This level, generally reserved for juniors in college, contains much more difficult classes. In Pharmacy school you must take classes such as, social science, behavioral science, and communication. All of this is in addition to the advanced levels of the classes required for Pre-Pharmacy. The school is not the only aspect of receiving a Pharmacist's license. (Oregonstate.edu)

In order to receive license you must complete an internship under a licensed pharmacist. Generally the internship lasts for twelve weeks. You can have your internship at many different places. A few of the places to have an internship include CVS, Wal-mart, Rite-Aid, as well as hospitals. Students can have their internship in places other than a pharmacy such as a home care area but they must be pre-approved by the pharmacy school. Brandon T. Jennings speaks of his experiences with his internship:

"I had the opportunity to attend the Summer Meeting held in San Diego, California, interview ASHP staff members, work on various projects, and gain an overall better understanding of how a national organization functions. This was truly one of the most valuable experiences that I have yet to encounter during my education." (www.ashp.org)

The four main areas you can work in within the pharmaceutical industry include, homecare, long-tern care, hospitals and retail pharmacy. Homecare accounts for the smallest amount of pharmacists. This includes living with a patient and providing care for them in their home. Long-term care provides care for a patient on a long-term basis from a residence family. The second greatest place of work is a hospital. Nearly one-fourth of all pharmacists work in a hospital. Retail pharmacy has the greatest employment and this includes working in a privately owned drug store or a chain such as CVS. Nearly three-fifths of the pharmacists in the United States work in a retail store.

Pharmacists work in very similar environments. (The Pharmacy Technician) The workplace of a pharmacist must be very sterile since medicines frequently pass through the area. (Pharmacists) These office areas are more often than not indoors. Pharmacists work primarily in one place and do not move around frequently. (Morkes) The people working in the pharmacy must take responsibility for keeping the area very organized. In general pharmacists work in a quite, clean office. (The Pharmacy Technician)

Pharmacy pays so much because of the large amount of responsibility required. Many people think the large salary makes up for the amount of education required to become a pharmacist. A pharmacist's salary usually depends on where they work. For example, retail stores pay on average 86,720 dollars yearly starting out and hospitals pay on average 84,560 dollars yearly starting out. (Pharmacists) On average a pharmacist in the state of Virginia gets paid 78,100 dollars yearly. On average nationally a pharmacist gets paid 84,370 dollars yearly. (vaview.org)

Although school will be a challenge for me I feel as thought I am up for the challenge and can enthusiastically take on the rigorous classes. I have always somewhat enjoyed learning and I pharmacy school could possible contain a great opportunity to learn more that most people could imagine. I have excellent study habits, which has a large amount of importance when it comes to Pharmacy school. I also enjoy a challenge, which shows exactly why I obtain many great qualities for pharmacy school. I am a very enthusiastic person when it comes to learning about things that interest me and math and science interest me.

The job requirements also fit me because I like to stand for the majority of the day; I enjoy working with others and helping them as well as working in a clean environment. I would much