Types of Pharmacists and What They Do
What comes to mind when you picture a career in pharmacy? For some, it’s working behind closed doors in a hospital or research lab. For others, it may be the person in the white coat assisting customers in the pharmacy department of their local supermarket.
If you’re thinking about becoming a pharmacist, the good news is that it’s a versatile career, offering a variety of roles based on your individual strengths and passions. If you’re wondering what specialty you might take on, consider the following descriptions of different types of pharmacists and what they do to help people achieve better health.
Types of Pharmacists and Their Roles
As someone interested in a career as a pharmacist, you may not be aware of how many different types of pharmacists there are and the important roles they play in the healthcare system. Consider the following positions and how they could allow you to help others and experience professional fulfillment.
Community Pharmacists
Community pharmacists work in retail pharmacies, such as those found in grocery and convenience stores. On a day-to-day level, community pharmacists are responsible for dispensing medications according to orders from doctors and insurance companies.
In this role, you may also provide vaccinations for infectious respiratory diseases and other conditions. You’ll also counsel patients, helping them understand how to take their medications, what side effects to look out for, and what drugs or supplements may cause harm when taken together.
Hospital Pharmacists
Some types of pharmacists work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to care exclusively for admitted patients.
In this role, you’ll be responsible for preparing medications according to doctor’s orders. You’ll also collaborate with patients’ care teams, including nurses, social workers, and therapists, to ensure that they receive the right medications in the right dosages and that they’re properly monitored for potential negative side effects.
Clinical Pharmacists
Clinical pharmacists are involved in direct patient care. You’ll work with a patient’s care team to understand their diagnosis and develop a medication plan to help them maintain their health. Your role will be especially important for chronic disease patients, who often require close monitoring and adjustments to their medication plans over time.
Additionally, you’ll conduct medication reviews with patients to make sure they aren’t taking medications that may work against each other or inadvertently cause harm.
Industrial/Research Pharmacists
You don’t always have to work directly with patients as a pharmacist. Depending on your personality, you may be more comfortable working behind the scenes, verifying that various medications are safe and effective. This is what industrial and research pharmacists do.
With this path, you’ll spend your career working with pharmaceutical companies and research labs to develop and test medications for patient use. These types of pharmacists also play a role in clinical trials and take on the responsibility of ensuring quality control in the production process.
Consultant Pharmacists
As a consultant pharmacist, you’ll work closely with administrative teams overseeing hospitals, and healthcare facilities. Your role in this capacity is to review medication policies, procedures, and plans on a broader scale, confirming that they promote patient safety at every turn.
This specialty calls for significant knowledge of laws and regulations surrounding insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. You will be advising facilities and companies on how to comply with these regulations to reduce their risk exposure.
Oncology Pharmacists
The work oncology pharmacists do concerns patients who have been diagnosed with and are being treated for cancer. This is a major responsibility, especially considering that cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide.
In this role, you’ll prepare chemotherapy drugs for cancer patients. You may also assist in easing patients’ fears by helping them understand what to expect in terms of the potential effects of their medications and other treatments.
Pediatric Pharmacists
Pediatric pharmacists play a role in helping the youngest patients get the medication they need to achieve the highest level of health possible. This position is crucial in the healthcare system, as babies and children must receive the proper dosage of medications to avoid negative health impacts.
Not only will you ensure proper dosing as a child pharmacist, but you’ll also address unique pediatric needs. You might monitor for drug allergies or other adverse reactions, along with educating parents and caregivers on how to administer and store medications, especially in regard to keeping them out of children’s reach.
Geriatric Pharmacists
Geriatric pharmacists work on the opposite end of the age spectrum from pediatric pharmacists — they specialize in working with older patients, who often have entirely different needs.
These types of pharmacists need extensive knowledge of managing polypharmacy, as senior patients may be taking many different medications to manage their conditions. They must also be able to address age-related health conditions, including arthritis, heart disease, type-two diabetes, and dementia.
Specialty Pharmacists
Specialty pharmacists might work in a variety of roles. For example, nuclear pharmacists work with and dispense radioactive drugs, while infectious disease pharmacists focus on the use of antimicrobial therapies.
These types of pharmacists require extensive continuing education to consistently perform at the high level their duties demand. That’s because specialty pharmacists must possess unique expertise in emerging or otherwise uncommon therapies and conditions.
Government Pharmacists
These pharmacists work with organizations such as Veterans Affairs, NIH, FDA, DEA, Dept of Defense, state Boards of Pharmacy, and prisons.
Pharmacoeconomics or Healthcare Economics Roles
These pharmacists meet with and share data with insurance companies and hospitals and can be employed by the government, hospitals, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. They also can calculate and assess the value of care prevented and adverse events prevented.
How Can RxCe Help You Maintain Your Pharmacist Certification?
Many roles in the healthcare field, including all types of pharmacists, require extensive education for licensure. And as healthcare experiences rapid developments and advancements, states, licensing boards, and even certification organizations demand continuing education to maintain those licenses and certificates.
If you’re a pharmacist looking to advance your knowledge in the field and make sure you meet the appropriate licensing requirements, RxCe can help. We offer unlimited course memberships so you can access continuing education and live webinars at your convenience. This is an excellent option to help you obtain credits on your own timeline.
Register for a free course and see how our memberships can help you reach your professional goals.
