Responsibilities and Duties of a Pharmacist
As you hand over your prescription, it probably never enters your mind that behind the counter, a trained pharmacist literally has your life in his/her hands. If you were to receive an incorrect medication, you could suffer serious harm or even death. That's what almost happened to my elderly aunt and it was our pharmacist who saved her life. We had just moved to town and my aunt came to visit that same Christmas. She developed pneumonia and we took her to the only doctor we knew, one we had seen once. He diagnosed pneumonia and prescribed an antibiotic. Three days later, when she seemed worse rather than better, he prescribed a second antibiotic but told her to keep taking the first one as well. I took the new prescription to our pharmacist who looked at it and then frowned. "If you give both of those to her at the same time, they'll interfere with each other and she won't get an adequate dose of either." I called the doctor only to find out that he had left on a Mexican vacation. We decided to just give my aunt the second antibiotic and she got better. Needless to say, we changed doctors.
Because we've been faithful about going to the same pharmacist, she and her colleagues know our health records. From my husband's blood pressure medication to my thyroid pills, she knows exactly what we take and how much. She's the one who gives advice along with the pills with pain medication for my husband following a tooth extraction: "Don't let him make any financial decisions while taking this." To me with an antibiotic: "Take this with food so it won't upset your stomach."
Because the position of pharmacist carries grave responsibilities, the preparation for the position is extensive. In order to get into pharmacy school, a student must have demonstrated skills in math, biology, and chemistry. Normally, a degree from a pharmacy school takes at least 5 years in addition to undergraduate studies. In addition to ordering and dispensing drugs, pharmacists must be able to counsel, to alert to potentially dangerous side effects as in the case of my aunt, and to be knowledgeable about over the counter drugs and vitamin and mineral supplements as well. At the completion of the pharmacy degree, a pharmacist must then become licensed with the state he or she is going to practice in.
In both retail and hospital settings, pharmacists are a liason between the physician and the patient. The pharmacist maintains records on the patient's past prescription history and any recorded allergies and often advises the physician which medications will suit a certain condition. Even in hospitals which have automated drug dispensers, it is pharmacists who are responsible for stocking them accurately. It is also the pharmacy profession which can suggest changes in labeling to prevent instances such as the tragic infant deaths caused by confusing labels on heparin.
A pharmacist is never done with his/her studies as new medications are coming on line all the time. It may be a 9 to 5 job but there will always be extra study involved to stay current. Pharmacists also work in the exciting area of drug research. Along with chemists and medical doctors, pharmacists can be on the cutting edge of medical discoveries that will better and extend the lives of countless people.
When I was 20, my mother developed terminal cancer. It seemed like I went to the local pharmacy to pick up prescriptions for her almost every other day. I will always remember the kindly man in the white coat who dispensed caring along with pill bottles. He knew just by looking at the increasing dosages of pain medications that her disease was worsening. He often came around from the counter and opened the door for me when I left. When she died, one of the first bouquets of flowers we received came from the pharmacist. You won't find human compassion listed as a pre-requisite in a pharmacy college catalogue, but I think it's one of the components you'll find in any good pharmacist.
