If you are someone who is not enthusiastic about a 9-to-5 desk job, or are interested in working in the healthcare sector, taking up pharmacy is a good choice. This is a direct branch of health sciences, and students are expected to complete their Pharm.D degree and complete licensure exam before they can start practicing. In terms of salaries, the best professions often make $140,000 or more annually on an average, although this may vary from state to state. Before you go ahead to find a pharmacy school near Salt Lake City, we recommend that you take a close look at the career prospects listed below.
Decoding the roles
Pharmacists dispense medicines as per prescription and are expected to offer information to patients about drugs, including interactions, side effects and so on. As a newbie, you may initially have to work as a community pharmacist, where you will be responsible for dispensing medicines to others. You can also work at a hospital, where you will be coordinating with doctors, nurses for preparing IVs and nutritional solutions. Pharmacists can also work directly in research and development, and can eventually become a research scientist in the medical field. They could also take up roles like a clinical research associate, lecturer, and pharmacologist. Students with a degree in pharmacy can also choose to work as a toxicologist.
Understanding the path ahead
Pharmacists need to continue their education, much like doctors, and they are expected to work in a tough environment, where they would be dealing with patients on a continual basis. The work in hospitals can be really tiring at times, but this is also a field, where you would not be exposed to many health risks like that of nurses and doctors, who work with patients directly. Healthcare sector is expanding at a rather fast rate, and while pharmacy is not on the forefront among the top five jobs in the industry, the demand for Pharmacists is constantly increasing.
In conclusion
Getting your PharmD degree means studying for four years, although some colleges do offer 3-year and 6-year programs too. You are expected to complete the two licensure exams immediately, following which you can look for jobs. The industry has many options even for new students with a fresh PharmD degree. Check online for colleges, and if required, talk to a counsellor and find more on the prospects and if this is a right choice for you.
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