Being a Pharmacist requires a variety of skills and knowledge you’ll need if this is the work field you’re wanting to be in, the number of Pharmacists has increased over the past few years in the medical and health field. The need for pharmacists has also gone up over 3% since 2018 mainly due to the expanding areas of research, development, distribution, and testing of treatments and drugs which have made more jobs for those who are licensed and qualified Pharmacists.
The most recommended and important part every pharmacist must finish and obtain is a degree program, many experienced and licensed pharmacists recommend expanding your knowledge on all aspects of the pharmacy field, and to keep continuing to expand your education. Some pharmacists choose to complete an undergraduate course while others can personally choose to combine all coursework into one program.
For those who might choose to go with the undergraduate program will be starting off with the Pre-pharmacy course which can be offered as a 2-year degree or a 4-year degree, which both of them give students an overlook and feel of what the Graduate program is all about if they’re still wanting to pursue this type of work field. In the undergraduate program, students must learn and incorporate more knowledge with the general education about the pharmacy industry as well as liberal arts classes. Meanwhile, for those who may have chosen the four-year degree program those students will be required to take classes on human anatomy, general and organic chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, English and microbiology as well as statistics and calculus.
Once students have graduated from their degree programs, the next step for them is to pass license requirements which students should double-check on their state’s or city’s local boards about certain and specific requirements they’ll need in order to be a licensed and registered Pharmacist. Another important part about this step is also completing and passing three different parts of the licensing examinations which include the Written and Practical exam, the Multi-State Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam and the North American Pharmacist Licensing Exam. There are also options for students to practice these exams, but preferably many pharmacists have done the NAPLEX practice questions to test their knowledge in every aspect of the pharmacy field. The NAPLEX practice questions are mainly offered online but if you ask the testing agency, you might be able to get them printed off so you can study for your exams.
The next step into becoming a licensed and registered Pharmacist is completing a Post-Doctoral training, this step is mainly for those who want or plan to work in the specialized field of being a Pharmaceutical, this option is one of the best ways students get to figure out what part of the pharmacy field they truly want to be in. The other advice experienced pharmacists give to students who plan on being in the Pharmacy field is to always stay on top of continuing your education, many of the requirements students must follow require them to have at least 15 to 30 hours between each of their license renewal periods.
First skill for those who are looking into this type of work field in the medical and health industry should be able to read medical scripts written by doctors and have the ability to fill those prescriptions properly as well as telling the patient about the medications and the side effects of each prescription the patient needs to be filled. A few other skills students must obtain include recollection, attention to detail, drug knowledge, ability to work with others as well as computer literacy. All of these skills are required and are used every day in the Pharmacy field, which is why it’s super important for students to learn and possess these skills.
