Pharmacist

With many career moves changing with the huge shift in the job market, there are a lot of people considering becoming a pharmacist. Even this job has become more scrutinized due to the handling of medications and the rise in drug use. Accidents that have resulted from mistakes in this field, have proven to be intolerable, as the consequences can be fatal. But we have many fine young men and women who are more than up to the task, and have made this their career choice, and have gone back to college to study to become a pharmacist. If you’ve been thinking along these lines yourself, then you should know what’s involved before undertaking all the education and career training that is involved. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with this job. The ones who fare best approach this job having good interpersonal skills for dealing with the public. It takes patience, some scientific aptitude, and a great attention to detail. Most pharmacists work for drugstores, or hospitals, or health insurance companies. There are many opportunities for those who can get the proper education and pass all the necessary exams.

Some Necessary Steps to Become a Pharmacist

1. Apply to and complete a ‘Pharm.D. program’. This usually will take you around 4 years if you don’t get into one of the accelerated programs. The accelerated programs require you to take courses all year ’round, enabling you to finish up in 3 years rather than 4.
2. Think about entering into a 1 or 2 year residency program. If you’d like to work within a clinical setting, then you’ll be asked to complete your residency. If you plan on going into an area of pharmacy work that’s specialized, then there are probably some fellowship programs for you to complete.
3. Eventually, you’ll have to take the (NAPLEX), or ‘North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam’, along with the (MPJE), or ‘Multi-state Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam. Eight states actually have their own specific required pharmacy law examinations as opposed to the MPJE. Other states may require additional examinations, or a specific amount of experience within a practice setting. They will also require criminal background checks.

What You Can Expect

Pharmacists work around clean, well ventilated and well lit areas. They spend a lot of their days at work on their feet. There are times they work with dangerous or sterile pharmaceutical products requiring them to wear masks, gloves, and other protective gear. Their average work week is from 40-50 hours per week. If they’re involved with the consulting side of this field, then they might have to travel around to various nursing homes or other types of facilities for monitoring patients’ drug therapies. Many only work part-time. So many of our new pharmacists that have been added to the workforce, were able to do so because of online courses. The Internet brings convenience to what used to be a difficult career path for some. So in today’s climate, if becoming a pharmacist interests you, then I would encourage you to find a good online school and get started on this important and lucrative career.