Being a pharmacist requires a lot of effort and dedication and it is certainly not a piece of cake for everyone. It is a rewarding profession financially, emotionally and career wise. For these reasons, it is being increasingly popular among the people wanting to enter the healthcare system.
If you’re looking to build a career as a pharmacist, you need to know some common responsibilities that comes with this job.
Knowing prescriptions
Pharmacists must deal with drugs which they need to dispense to the patients and thus directly putting the responsibility of human lives into their hands. This is why when you are in this profession, you must know everything about the drug prescriptions and always have to accurate. You must ensure that the prescriptions are filled and refilled in the correct dosage according to doctor’s instructions. In addition, pharmacists are also required to give non-prescription drugs like birth control, cold medicine etc.
Knowing drugs
It’s not just about knowing what every drug does or cures. You have to know the side effects of the drugs as well as drug interactions. While some drugs can severely affect the patient’s health, some drugs may trigger an allergic reaction. In such situations, yoou should have knowledge about how to prevent or at least handle them.
Safety measures
When it comes to drug and health, safety is always a priority. You must make sure that the medication and the dose is safe for the patient’s condition. This is because if a patient suffers harmful reaction or even dies from a drugs provided by you, you may be held accountable. In many cases, you are provided with liability insurance but you must take responsibility for what happened. In a worse case scenario, you must be able to defend yourself against the malpractice suit.
Relationship with patients
A pharmacist needs to have a healthy relationship with the patients. While doctors are mostly busy with diagnosing, you need to counsel the patients. You need to educate your patients about their condition and how to take their medication. You also have to listen to your patient’s distress and advise them accordingly.
Relationship with other health provider colleagues
As a pharmacist, you will be working alongside doctors, nurses and other health provider colleagues. This is why your must be able to maintain a sound professional relationship with them. When new medications are introduced, you have to inform and educate them about the drugs, new therapies, changes in medication composition and so on. Sometimes, you may even require to train your colleagues on medication therapy techniques.
Administrative responsibilities
There is a good chance that you will also be taking an administrative role. You will be in charge of keeping patient files up to date, stocking the drug store and organizing patient and drug records. Moreover, you’ll be responsible of the three ‘R’s, i.e. right drug, right dose and right patient.
