How To Become ...

Pharmacists are health professionals who practice the art and science of pharmacy. In their traditional role, pharmacists typically take a request for medicines from a prescribing health care provider in the form of a medical prescription and dispense the 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. Pharmacists also participate in disease state management, where they optimize and monitor drug therapy or interpret medical laboratory results – in collaboration with physicians and/or other health professionals. Pharmacists have many areas of expertise and are a critical source of medical knowledge in clinics, hospitals, medical laboratory and community pharmacies throughout the world.

Pharmacists are sometimes (often, in numerous contries in Europe) small-business owners, owning the pharmacy in which they practice. Their specialized knowledge as skilled professionals makes them a vital part of any healthcare team. They act as a learned intermediary between patients and other healthcare providers to ensure that proper medical therapy is chosen and implemented in the best way possible.
Pharmacists are sometimes referred to as chemists (or dispensing chemists), which sometimes causes confusion with scientists in the field of chemistry. This term is a historical one, since pharmacists originally were required to complete an undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (PhC) and were known as "Pharmaceutical Chemists".

Roles

Pharmacists are trained in pharmacology, pharmacognosy, chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, microbiology, pharmacy practice (including drug interactions, medicine monitoring, medication management), pharmaceutics, pharmacy law, physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, kinetics, nephrology, hepatology, and compounding medications. Additional curriculum covers basic diagnosis with emphasis on disease state management, therapeutics and prescribing (selecting the most appropriate medication for a given patient).

One of the most important roles that pharmacists are currently taking on is one of pharmaceutical care. Pharmaceutical care involves taking direct responsibility for patients and their disease states, medications, and the management of each in order to improve the outcome for each individual patient. Pharmaceutical care has many benefits that include but are not limited to:

Decreased medication errors
Increased patient compliance in medication regimen
Better chronic disease state management
Strong pharmacist-patient relationship
Pharmacists are often the first point-of-contact for patients with health inquiries. This means that pharmacists have large roles in the assessing medication management in the primary care of patients. These roles may include, but are not limited to:

clinical medication management
the assessment of patients with undiagnosed or diagnosed conditions and for decisions about the clinical medication management required.
specialized monitoring of disease states
reviewing medication regimens
monitoring of treatment regimens
delegating work
general health monitoring
compounding medicines
general health advice
providing specific education to patients about disease states and medications
oversight of dispensing medicines on prescription
provision of non-prescription medicines
counseling and advice on optimal use of medicines
advice and treatment of common ailments
referrals to other health professionals if necessary
dosing drugs in renal and hepatic failure
pharmacokinetic evaluation
education of physicians and other health care providers on medications and their proper use
limited prescribing of medications only in collaboration with other health care professionals
providing pharmaceutical information
promoting public health by administering immunizations
In some states, pharmacists have prescriptive authority to either independently prescribe under their own authority or in collaboration with a primary care physician through an agreed upon protocol.

Qualifications and registration:

The requirements of pharmacy education, pharmacist licensure and post-graduate continuing education vary from country to country and between regions/localities within countries. In most countries, prospective pharmacists study pharmacy at a pharmacy school or related institution. Upon graduation, they are licensed either nationally or by region to dispense medication of various types in the settings for which they have been trained.

In the United States, a Pharmacist must complete 3 or 4 years of graduate level training at a pharmacy school, usually after receiving a bachelors degree from another undergraduate institution, although some pharmacy schools only require two years of undergraduate education and the completion of a list of prerequisites. Pharmacists receive a PharmD, or Doctorate of Pharmacy, upon graduation, and licensure after passing the NAPLEX. The amount of college education varies but is usually 6-9 years.
Specialty practice accreditation

United States:

In the United States, a pharmacist can become certified in recognized specialty practice areas by passing an examination administered by one of several credentialing boards.

The Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties[1] certifies pharmacists in five specialties:
Nuclear pharmacy
Nutrition support pharmacy
Oncology pharmacy
Pharmacotherapy, which has two subspecialties:
Cardiology
Infectious disease
Psychiatric pharmacy
The Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy certifies pharmacists in geriatrics specialty practice.
The American Board of Applied Toxicology[2] certifies pharmacists and other medical professionals in applied toxicology.