Pharmacist Job Description
Becoming a pharmacist requires a significant amount of study and hard work. Once you are fully qualified, however, you will likely find a stable job with plenty of prospects. Keep reading our pharmacist job description to learn more.
A lot of people are perhaps surprised to see the level of qualifications required with pharmacist jobs. Closer inspection reveals that one shouldn’t be shocked given the importance of the role. As a pharmacist, you are tasked with supplying prescription medicines and offering advice to the general public.
Never miss another Pharmacist Job opportunity.Click the button to start applying for Pharmacist jobs.
Apply for Pharmacist Jobs
Table of contents (skip to section)
What is a Pharmacist?
Pharmacist Duties and Responsibilities
What Skills Does a Pharmacist Need?
Positives and Downsides to Being a Pharmacist
Pharmacist Salary
Pharmacist Career Path
What is a Pharmacist?
The central part of the job involves dispensing medicine and providing advice to those using drugs sold by the pharmacy. The two main paths include working in a hospital or a community/retail setting. If you become a pharmacist in a hospital, you dispense the drugs prescribed by doctors to patients and other health professionals.
In a community pharmacy, you work in a local chemist store and advise customers on the safe use of medicines, not to mention the side effects. Both roles involve a high degree of interaction with the public. As a community pharmacist, you may occasionally refer cases to a physician. The chemist may also sell a wide range of perfume, health care, and beauty products.
Pharmacist Duties and Responsibilities
When writing a pharmacist CV, try to show evidence of your experience by outlining the various duties in previous roles. Whether you are a hospital or community-based pharmacist, your role could involve:
- Compounding and dispensing the medications prescribed by doctors. You calculate, weigh, measure, and mix ingredients on occasion.
- Thoroughly review prescriptions from doctors to ensure they are accurate.
- Provide information and advice on drugs, including details of dosage, possible side effects, and how to store them.
- Assessing the strength and purity of drugs.
- Ordering and purchasing of pharmaceutical supplies, medical stock, and medications.
- Keeping records of a patient’s use of drugs.
- Helping people alter their diets, advise them to give up smoking, and perhaps providing information on matters pertaining to sexual health.
- Undertaking clinical roles such as blood pressure testing.
In both roles, you will spend your day in a specific setting. As a community pharmacist, your hours will depend on when the chemist is open. If you work in a high-street chain, you will likely work evenings and weekends. There are also numerous opportunities for self-employment, and an increasing number of experienced pharmacists run their own business.
If you work in a hospital setting, you may work longer hours, but once again, it depends on the opening hours of the hospital pharmacy. It is important to remember that pharmacists are medical professionals, and a growing section of the public are asking them for advice.
|
Ready to take the next step to becoming a Pharmacist? Check these Pharmacist jobs and apply! |
What Skills Does a Pharmacist need?
As an important part of a pharmacist job description, make sure you mention the following skills if applicable in your CV:
- Outstanding communication skills because you must listen carefully to what customers say. You also need to explain complex and occasionally sensitive information.
- Good interpersonal skills because you deal with the public for most of your working day.
- Genuine concern for customers’ welfare.
- A systematic approach to your work with strong attention to detail.
- A confident and professional manner.
- A willingness to take on a great degree of responsibility.
- The ability to work as part of a team.
- Excellent numerical skills.
Positives and Downsides to Being a Pharmacist
In general, pharmacists are extremely well paid once they have enough experience. There are plenty of job opportunities, as well as the chance to perhaps run a chemist’s store yourself one day. It is also a flexible career; if you decide to leave one day, you can switch and work in the pharmaceutical industry, or as a medical writer. It is a stable position, and pharmacists are usually well-regarded within their community. If you work in a typical chemist store, the hours are reasonable and steady.
On the downside, there are extensive education requirements, which you will learn about a little later. It is your responsibility to make sure a patient receives the right medication. Any mistake on your part could have grave repercussions. Pharmacists are increasingly becoming the first port of call for advice, so you will need to provide a lot of information regularly, which s exhausting. Finally, the job involves standing for hours at a time.
Pharmacist Salary
Once you are fully qualified, you could earn between €31,000 and €40,000 per annum as a graduate. Your yearly income will increase to between €50,000 and €60,000 after approximately three years of experience. It isn’t unusual for pharmacists with up to ten years’ experience to earn around €100,000 per annum, though this varies according to your employer.
Pharmacist Career Path
If you are ready to get started, it is time to get your study hat on! The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) says you need to complete a four-year accredited pharmacy degree in an Irish school of pharmacy. There are three recognised courses in Ireland, at the following universities:
- Trinity College Dublin
- Royal College of Surgeons
- University College Cork
Those applying to the Royal College of Surgeons must apply directly to the college. There is an interview, and non-science graduates need Chemistry in their Leaving Certificate.
You must also finish a year of practical training that’s approved by the PSI. In this case, a practicing tutor pharmacist provides supervision. Once you complete this pre-registration training, the final step is to pass your Pharmaceutical License Examination. All pharmacists and pharmaceutical assistants must be registered in a PSI-monitored register to work. This is the case whether you graduate in Ireland or from another EU/EEA country.
The vast majority of pharmacists work in a ‘chain’ pharmacy, though there are some opportunities in small, local chemists. There is also the possibility of going it alone and setting up a business. If you choose a ‘high-street’ chain, you could rise to the rank of pharmacy superintendent. At this point, you influence how the business is run and are involved in the overall strategy. You could also move into a management role in business or professional development.
|
Living in Ireland area? Find Pharmacist jobs near you! and more… |
Find other similar Pharmacist Jobs
What should I do next?
- View and apply for Pharmacist Jobs