RUNNING HEAD: PHARMACY AS MY CAREER

Pharmacy as my Career
Alvin Gichinga
Delaware Technical and Community College

PHARMACY AS MY CAREER

Abstract
A pharmacist dispenses prescription medications to patients and offers expertise in the safe use
of medication. They may also provide advice on how to lead a healthy lifestyle, conduct health
and wellness screenings, provide immunizations and oversee medications given to patients.
Pharmacists can work in a number of places including grocery stores, drug stores,
pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and clinics. To be able to work as a pharmacist one must
have a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree offered within the course of 4 to 6 years including
undergraduate education. The median annual wage for pharmacists is $122,500 per year. Since
there is an increased demand for prescription medication, employment for pharmacists is
expected to grow 14% from the year 2012 to 2022.

PHARMACY AS MY CAREER

Pharmacy as my career
Confucius once said, Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in
your life. The career of pharmacy originated from Greek land in the 19th century when it
separated from medicine. The news spread across the continent and in 1852, the first Pharmacy
Act was created in Great Britain establishing a register for qualified pharmacists (Kranthi, n.d.,
para 2). Today, pharmacists practice the science of pharmacy by typically taking a request for
medicines from a prescribing health care provider in the form of a prescription and dispense
medication to the patient and counsel them on the proper use and adverse effects of that
medication. In this role, pharmacists ensure the safe and effective use of medications (Kranthi,
n.d., para 4).
Pharmacists are required to have a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, a
postgraduate professional degree. Most pharmacy programs require at least 2 years of
undergraduate study courses in chemistry, biology and anatomy. After completion of
undergraduate studies, applicants are required to take the Pharmacy College Admission Test. A
Pharm.D. program usually takes 4 years to finish or an immediate 0-6 year program. Course
work includes chemistry, pharmacology and medical ethics. In addition to that, students are
required to complete internships (U.S, n.d., p.4). Following graduation prospective pharmacists
must pass two exams to get a license. The North-American Pharmacist Licensure Exam
(NAPLEX) tests pharmacy skills and knowledge and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence
Exam (MPJE) or state-specific test on pharmacy law. Pharmacists may also choose to earn a
certification to show their advanced level of knowledge in a certain area; for example diabetes or
a specialized area, such as nutrition (U.S, 2014, p.4).

PHARMACY AS MY CAREER

Pharmacists typically have many duties including; filling prescriptions, checking whether
a prescription can negatively affect a patient, counsel patients on medications, advice patients on
healthy living, administer vaccinations including flu, complete insurance forms and work with
insurance companies, supervise pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns, do administrative
tasks and teach other healthcare practitioners about proper medication therapy (U.S, 2014, p.2).
For a pharmacist to successfully complete their duties, they need the following qualities;
analytical skills-evaluate a patients need, communication skills- frequently offer advice to
patients, computer skills- input data in a computer, detail oriented- accuracy of prescriptions,
managerial skills- managing inventory and overseeing staff (U.S, 2014, p.4).
43% of the pharmacists work in pharmacy retail like CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, 23%
work in state, local or private hospitals, 8% in grocery stores like Acme, Shoprite, 10% in
department and merchandise stores (U.S, 2014, p.3). The median wage for pharmacists is
$122,500 per year, the lowest making less than $90,000 per year and the highest making more
than $146,000 per year. Pharmacists in merchandise stores earn the most while pharmacists in
hospitals earn the least. Most pharmacists in those areas of employment work full time including
nights and weekends (U.S, 2014, p.5).
In planning for my career, I will need academic assistance in the form of money and time
management. For academic assistance, I will need a way to pay for pharmacy school. This can be
in the form of scholarships, financial aid, loans and personal savings. Tuition vary from each
pharmacy program, and are influenced by whether the institution is private or public, and if you
are an in-state or out of state resident: but since Delaware has no pharmacy schools, I would be
considered an out of state resident. The average cost for public in state is $13,000 and for private
school is $28,000 (Admissions, n.d., para 8). For completion of the undergraduate and graduate

PHARMACY AS MY CAREER

pharmacy program successfully, I will need time management meaning going to school full time,
limiting work to a minimal level and avoid distractions.
To summarize, pharmacists work by dispensing prescription medication to patients and
most important, they advise patients on medications and living a healthy lifestyle. They work
many places including hospitals, department stores, grocery stores and retail stores. In order to
be licensed, a prospective pharmacist must graduate from a 4 or 6 year program and must pass a
pharmacy knowledge and law exam. A pharmacists median is $122,500 per year with the lowest
earning less than $90,000 and the highest earning more than $146,000 (U.S, 2014, p.5).
Employment of pharmacists is projected to grow 14% by 2022 (U.S, 2014, p.6). I have been
researching my career since 9th grade but one thing I did not know about my career was that
licensed pharmacists can choose to earn certifications in specialized areas like nutrition or
oncology which really caught my eye. The FOCUS 2 results and research didnt really influence
me to change my career or make a career appointment. Even though the assessment results gave
me unexpected results, I still choose to remain on the same path Im on right now.

PHARMACY AS MY CAREER

REFERENCES
U.S Department of Labor. (2014, January 8) Pharmacist. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved from
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacists.htm#tab-1
Admissions. (n.d.). The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Retrieved from
http://www.aacp.org/resources/student/pharmacyforyou/admissions/Pages/default.aspx
Kranthi, K. (n.d.). Origin of Pharmacy. Retrieved from
http://www.pharmainfo.net/kranthikumar/origin-pharmacy-pharmacist