Pharmacists

Healthcare professionals who practice in pharmacy, also known as chemist or druggist, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use. A pharmacist is a member of the health care team directly involved with patient care.

Pharmacists undergo university-level education to understand the biochemical mechanisms and actions of drugs, drug uses, therapeutic roles, side effects, potential drug interactions, and monitoring parameters. This is mated to anatomy, physiology, and patho-physiology. Pharmacists interpret and communicate this specialized knowledge to patients, physicians, and other health care providers.

What Pharmacists Do?

Pharmacists dispense prescription medications to patients and offer expertise in the safe use of prescriptions. They also may provide advice on how to lead a healthy lifestyle, conduct health and wellness screenings, provide immunizations, and oversee the medications given to patients.

They are responsible for:

• The quality of medicines supplied to patients.
• Ensuring that the supply of medicines is within the law.
• Ensuring that the medicines prescribed to patients are suitable.
• Advising patients about medicines, including how to take them, what reactions may occur and answering patients' questions.
• Supervise the medicines supply chain and ensure pharmacy premises and systems are fit for purpose.
• Advise other healthcare professionals about safe and effective medicines use, and safe and secure supply of medicines.
• Respond to patients' symptoms and advice on medicines for sale in pharmacies.
• Provide services to patients, such as smoking cessation, blood pressure measurement and cholesterol management.
• Supervise the production and preparation of medicines and assessments of quality of medicines before they are supplied to patients from pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Where do pharmacists work?

• Pharmacists work in many different work environments. These include:
• Community pharmacies (sometimes called retail or high street pharmacy) and hospitals. Most pharmacists work in community and hospital pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical production or sales in the pharmaceutical industry

Pharmacists Books & Reviews