Pharmacist (Staff)

Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Clinical Pharmacist; Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS); Community Pharmacist; Hospital Pharmacist; Inpatient Pharmacist; Pharm D (Pharmacy Doctor); Pharmacy Informaticist; Pharmacy Services Clinical Coordinator; Registered Pharmacist; Retail Pharmacist

Tasks

• Review prescriptions to assure accuracy, to ascertain the needed ingredients, and to evaluate their suitability.
• Collaborate with other health care professionals to plan, monitor, review, or evaluate the quality or effectiveness of drugs or drug regimens, providing advice on drug applications or characteristics.
• Work in hospitals or clinics or for Health Management Organizations (HMOs), dispensing prescriptions, serving as a medical team consultant, or specializing in specific drug therapy areas, such as oncology or nuclear pharmacotherapy.
• Provide information and advice regarding drug interactions, side effects, dosage, and proper medication storage.
• Provide specialized services to help patients manage conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation, or high blood pressure.
• Analyze prescribing trends to monitor patient compliance and to prevent excessive usage or harmful interactions.
• Maintain records, such as pharmacy files, patient profiles, charge system files, inventories, control records for radioactive nuclei, or registries of poisons, narcotics, or controlled drugs.
• Prepare sterile solutions or infusions for use in surgical procedures, emergency rooms, or patients' homes.
• Compound and dispense medications as prescribed by doctors and dentists, by calculating, weighing, measuring, and mixing ingredients, or oversee these activities.
• Assess the identity, strength, or purity of medications.
• Plan, implement, or maintain procedures for mixing, packaging, or labeling pharmaceuticals, according to policy and legal requirements, to ensure quality, security, and proper disposal.
• Teach pharmacy students serving as interns in preparation for their graduation or licensure.
• Refer patients to other health professionals or agencies when appropriate.
• Order and purchase pharmaceutical supplies, medical supplies, or drugs, maintaining stock and storing and handling it properly.
• Manage pharmacy operations, hiring or supervising staff, performing administrative duties, or buying or selling non-pharmaceutical merchandise.

Knowledge

• Medicine and Dentistry
• Biology
• English Language
• Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Education and Training
• Customer and Personal Service
• Law and Government
• Therapy and Counseling
• Administrative
• Computers and Electronics
• Psychology

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Writing
• Critical Thinking
• Monitoring
• Active Learning
• Mathematics
• Science
• Learning Strategies

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Written Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Near Vision
• Information Ordering
• Category Flexibility
• Speech Clarity
• Speech Recognition
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Number Facility
• Selective Attention
• Visual Color Discrimination
• Fluency of Ideas
• Memorization
• Perceptual Speed
• Time Sharing