A pharmacist is a person who supplies prescribed drugs to patients. They also help their customers understand lucidly the instructions given by the doctor, so that the patients find the regimen easier to follow. They also answer queries regarding the medicines, and keep a watch on the patient’s health condition to ensure the medicine doses are being administered correctly. In the USA alone there are more than quarter a million pharmacists.

About half of the pharmacists work in community pharmacies and a quarter works in hospitals. The remaining work in physician’s chambers, mail and internet pharmacies or are whole sellers of pharmaceutical goods. The educational requirement of a job as a pharmacist is that the candidate must have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The course is accredited by the ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education). The course is usually over duration of four years.

The course covers subjects like mathematics, chemistry, biology and social sciences. The students also have to study pharmacology, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacy administration. The United States of America requires that all who want to practice as pharmacists must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam held by the National Administration of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). Some states require a separate state level exam in addition to the previous requirement.

After pharmacists gain adequate experience and capital, they could become owners of independent pharmacies. Chain drugstores have the provision for pharmacists to rise up the ranks to eventually become executive officers of the company. Marketing and sales may also be taken up by pharmacists. The number of pharmacists employed in the United States of America is expected to shoot up more than any other occupation by 2016.

Annually a pharmacist in the USA earns around ninety thousand dollars. The pharmacists may have to interact with doctors regarding dosages prescribed to patients and side effects of the drugs. They may have to make recommendations about the drugs purchased and advise the patients on interactions between specific drugs. Additionally a pharmacist may be expected to give tips on managing stress, quitting smoking and staying in shape. Paperwork regarding the drugs also has to done by the pharmacists.