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Become a Better Pharmacist: 5 Important Tips
Job growth for pharmacists is predicted to increase by 3% by 2024. If you’re either in school working towards a career in pharmaceuticals or have just entered this field, you need to learn a lot, and rather quickly! Here is some important information and a few helpful tips that you should be aware of as you begin your career in pharmacy:
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- Becoming a pharmacist takes time — If you hate school and want to land a good job in a few short years, pharmaceuticals probably isn’t the industry for you. It typically takes at least eight years of college education to earn a Pharm.D. and become a pharmacist.
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- Pharmacist hours can be irregular — Though the majority of pharmacies might operate during normal business owners, there are plenty of others that stay open throughout the night. For instance, a lot of hospital and even retail pharmacies operate 24 hours a day to serve patients. As you increase your experience and move up in the ranks, however, you’ll likely gain more autonomy over your schedule.
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- You’ll have to triple check everything — Since you’ll be dealing directly with patients and potentially dangerous medications, it’s imperative that you check, double-check, and triple check everything you do. Get in the habit of having a checklist you run through when verifying prescriptions, regardless of whether it’s the first fill or a refill. You need to check both the patient’s name and date of birth to ensure that the right person is getting the right medication.
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- Reference your bound lab notebooks — Throughout your educational career and well into your career as an actual pharmacist, you should frequently look back and go over your notes. Additionally, you’ll always be adding new information so it’s best to have plenty of quality bound lab notebooks.
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- There are some additional requirements — There are plenty of requirements you’ll have to meet in order to become a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, including a high school diploma (or GED), criminal background check, formal education and training, fees, exams, continuing education, and certifications.
