The pharmacist - who is this? Duties of the pharmacist

Each of us from time to time have to visit pharmacies. However, few of us understand what kind of profession people work for them. Perhaps you will say that these are pharmacists. But it is not so. Along with the pharmacist, the pharmacy also employs a pharmacist. Who is this, what is included in his duties, and what is his difference from other related specialties, we will try to find out today. We also learn how to become a professional in this field and on what salary you can expect at the same time.

The pharmacist - who is this?

In short, one can say that a person of this profession is a specialist with a higher pharmaceutical education and working in the storage, production and sale of medicines. What is the meaning of the word "pharmacist"? From Latin, this word is translated as "harvested" or "foreseeing."

In many countries around the world, a pharmacy worker has been called a pharmacist for a long time. However, today this profession is represented by several specializations: pharmacists-technologists (engaged in the manufacture of medicines), pharmacists-analysts (control the quality of medical drugs) and others. In addition, the duties of these workers may include checking the work of pharmacies, monitoring the release of medicines. Today, pharmacists are also called employees who organize and coordinate the wholesale trade in pharmaceuticals. In general, the range of positions a graduate specialist can expect is quite broad: the marketer of medicines, a pharmacy pharmacist or a medical store, a certification and licensing specialist, a medical representative, a sales manager for pharmaceuticals, and others.

Education

If you are interested in the profession of a pharmacist, training can be done in many domestic medical universities. You can work on this specialty only having a higher pharmaceutical education. It should also be borne in mind that if a diploma was received more than five years ago, then it will be necessary to undergo refresher courses. At the same time, the certificate of the pharmacist will cost employees of private and commercial companies a round sum, since such training in our country is free only for employees of the municipal and state spheres. As a rule, many pharmacy chains and other organizations offer candidates to take advanced training courses at the company's expense when hiring. However, in this case, the specialist will have to contract with the company right away for several years without the possibility of early termination.

Varieties of profession pharmacist

As already mentioned, today for specialists in this field there are a large number of activities, depending on which the range of duties of employees differs. We propose to focus on the main specializations.

Clinical pharmacist - who is this?

Today we observe a constant increase in the share of ready-made medicines, as well as the nomenclature of over-the-counter drugs. In addition, there is a tendency to increase the number of self-treatment cases. In connection with this, an increasing number of specialists are engaged in advising people on the proper use of medicines: time, dosing, combination with other drugs and food, storage conditions, etc. Such a pharmaceutical care is provided by a clinical pharmacist. He is a specialist who is familiar with the main types of medical documentation, clinical and general syndromology of common diseases. Such an employee should possess the basic methods of laboratory, clinical and instrumental examinations of the patient, as well as the principles of interpreting their results.

Hospital pharmacist

These specialists work in multi-purpose hospitals and purchase medicines. In close cooperation with the doctor, the hospital pharmacist is engaged in optimization of drug therapy of patients, and also carries out drug monitoring and informs the medical staff about the peculiarities of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of new drugs entering the pharmacy network of the hospital.

Clinical Research Specialist

Such an employee is also a pharmacist whose duties include the following: participation in preclinical research and clinical testing of medicines, as well as other areas of research activities. He is an indispensable assistant physician in the planning and implementation of trials of various drugs.

Provisional laboratory assistant

Due to the fact that during the training at the pharmaceutical department at the university, the student acquires fundamental knowledge in chemistry, biochemistry, toxicology, and also skills in working with modern laboratory equipment, after graduating from the university, he can work in laboratories engaged in clinical and biological research.

Medical representative of the pharmaceutical company

Perhaps, many of us, having asked the question "pharmacist - who is this," are unlikely to think about specialists engaged in marketing and trade promotion of certain medications. In the meantime, it really is. A medical representative of pharmaceutical companies is one of the specialties of the profession of pharmacist, and these people are engaged in the promotion of medicines in pharmacy chains and hospitals, and organize conferences and roundtables on the effects of drugs produced by the firm in which they work.

Product manager, marketer of a pharmaceutical company

Specialists of this profile are engaged in collecting and analyzing information on expanding the range of products of the pharmaceutical company, competitors' activity, marketing strategies, etc.

Advantages of the profession

Among specialists in this field, it is very difficult to meet people who are disappointed in their choice of profession. Rather, on the contrary - most of them consider their work to be prestigious, promising and interesting. After all, above all, this profession is socially oriented. In addition, new drugs of both domestic and foreign production are constantly appearing on the pharmaceutical market, as well as new approaches to the treatment of various diseases. This encourages pharmacists to constantly improve their skills and expand the field of knowledge. In addition, this specialty provides a wide choice of exciting and well-paid work with the prospects of further career growth.

Salary

Today applicants of medical universities when choosing a specialty, first of all, are interested in whether their work will be well paid. Of course, the pharmacist can expect a decent salary. So, graduates of higher educational institutions can initially claim a salary of $ 400-500. After a young specialist has a little experience, he can fully expect a salary of 700-1000 dollars. The pharmacists in managerial positions, as well as those who have gone into the marketing sphere, earn from 1500 to 3000 dollars a month.