Pharmacy as a Profession
Pharm-CORPPharmacy Career Opportunity
Mahalia HarrellTamara Dixon
What do pharmacists do?
Pharmacists held over 250,000 jobs in the US
Need for pharmacists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2018
Careers from Retail to Research (and everything in between)
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm#emply
Aging population and increased Rx use Expansion of retail outlets & 24 hour stores Direct to consumer advertising Gene and Individualized therapies Expanding roles in traditional and non-
traditional settings Increased involvement of pharmacists in cost
containment Robotics and Automation
Factors Influencing Pharmacy
Pharmacists are Everywhere!!!
Hospital Clinical Home Care Long-term Care Consultant Managed Care Community Drug Information
Academia Pharmaceutical
Science/Research Industry Mail order Association
Management Drug Use Safety &
Policy MTM
Work directly with physicians, nurses, and
patients. Participate in patient rounds. Manage medications after diagnosis Counsel patients on discharge meds Critical Care (ICU) Hematology/Oncology Intravenous therapy Drug and poison information
Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy
(approx. 22% of pharmacists are employed in this area)
http://www.michiganpharmacists.org/public/careers/career_opps_pharmacy_printed.pdfhttp://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm#emply
Create drug therapies with physicians Prepare medications and infusions for use in
the home Educate patients and caregivers on
medication regimens Bubble-pack medications to ensure accurate delivery
Home Care/Long-Term Care Facilities
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm#outlook
Monitoring medication use in extended care
facilities to help reduce adverse effects due to complicated regimens
Assists in forming individualized care plans for patients
Recommends treatment options to physicians
Consultant Pharmacist
http://www.michiganpharmacists.org/public/careers/career_opps_pharmacy_printed.pdf
Colleges and schools of pharmacy Serve as teachers and researchers Serve as a model for the best practices of
pharmacists, now and in the future
Academic Pharmacy
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Help with medication research Drug discovery, delivery, and analysis Participates in sales and marketing of drug Offers educational programs Average cost to develop a new drug?
Pharmaceutical Company
http://www.michiganpharmacists.org/public/careers/career_opps_pharmacy_printed.pdf1
Overseeing drug production Selling products to physicians and retailers Marketing Public Relations Government regulators
Industrial/Sales/Marketing
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Oversee filling of prescriptions Serve as a liaison for patients
Mail Order/ Direct-to-Consumer
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Provide Hotlines for patients, physicians, and
other healthcare providers Research and dispense information for
professional and personal use
Drug Information Centers
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Many national and local organizations have
pharmacist needs Work on regulatory issues
Ex: National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation is working to advance pharmacy nationwide pharmacy practice.
Association Management
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Community/Retail Pharmacy
Fill Prescriptions Counsel Patients Compound Medication Provide Immunizations Source of Medication
Information Prescription OTC Herbal/Natural
Products
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Ability to be own boss Ability to tailor services to patient population’s
needs Stock prescription and OTC products specific
to region or town
Independent Ownership
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Federal, state, and professional positions United States Public Health Service Food and Drug Administration Department of Defense-branches of the armed
services Veterans Affairs Bureau of Prisons
Other Fields
http://www.berlex.com/html/career/pharma/pdfs/CareersinPharmRtlToResearch.pdf
Do You Like? Chemistry, Biology, and Math? To help people? To solve problems and Puzzles?Are You? Dependable? Organized? Detail-Oriented? Able to communicate well with others?
If you answered yes, you should consider pharmacy as a career!
Should You Be A Pharmacist?
http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Careers1&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=75&ContentID=6329
What happens
2 years of pre-pharmacy work PCAT after freshman year
Apply via PharmCAS in Fall of sophomore year Complete Supplemental Applications for each
school Interview in late Fall/Spring of sophomore year Acceptance letters in Spring
Timeline
pharmacy.umkc.edu
General Chemistry I & II (with labs) General Biology I & II Organic Chemistry I & II (with labs) Cell BiologyHuman Anatomy (with lab) Microbiology (with lab)Medical Terminology Calculus IPhysics I (with lab) English Comp I & IIPublic Speaking US Constitution Course
AP courses that count towards UMKC pharmacy prerequisites are Calculus AB and BC, Chemistry, English Language & Composition, Physics B, US Government Politics, and US History
UMKC PreReq Courses
pharmacy.umkc.edu
Managed Care Community Pharmacy Critical Care Oncology Ambulatory Infectious Disease Pediatrics Nuclear Medicine
Residencies
pharmacy.umkc.edu
Community
Hospital
Other
Money
pharmacy.umkc.edu
Admissions
Career
Life
Advice
pharmacy.umkc.edu
Patient Case
“ I can’t walk as far as I used to, and this cough is really bothering me”
HPI: 67 yo male presents to clinic for a follow-up visit for his COPD. He states he had been doing okay until 3 days back when he couldn’t walk daily anymore and started getting short of breath at rest. He states he has been compliant with all his medications. He also reports that he has been coughing up a lot of “green stuff” too. He had pulmonary function tests about 6 months back, but he states he never found out the results.
Patient Case
PMH: COPD x 3 years GERD x 5 years SH: 45 pack-year history of smoking (patient quit 4 years ago to
help improve his symptoms of GERD) Lives with wife (children grown); retired coal miner
(-) EtOH Meds: Albuterol MDI 1-2 puffs q 4 hours PRN Salmeterol 1 inhalation BID Omeprazole 20 mg po dailyVaccination status: Last influenza vaccine (9/08); Last
pneumococcal vaccine at age 45 yo Allergies: NKDA
Patient Case
ROS: Pulmonary: (+) SOB with chronic cough; (+) fatigue; (+) dyspnea onexertion; (+) sputum productionCardiovascular: (-) palpitations; (-) chest painPE: Gen: Mild respiratory distress after walking to the end of the hall to
reach the exam room; hunched over to breathe with accessory muscle use
Pulmonary: Tachypnea with prolonged expiration; decreased breath sounds; no rales, rhonchi or crackles
Cardiovascular: regular rate and rhythm, no murmurs, rubs or gallops
Patient Case
VS: BP 125/64 P 93 RR 26 O2 sat 91% (room air) Weight 71kg
Height 5’11”
Labs: CO2- 35 mEq/L (normal= 22-26 mEq/L)
PFT: (six months ago):Prebronchodilator FEV1 1.6L (3.55L predicted)
Prebronchodilator FVC 3.2L Postbronchodilator FEV1 1.72L
(baseline- at diagnosis)Prebronchodilator FEV1 2.84L (3.55L predicted)
Prebronchodilator FVC 4.4LPostbronchodilator FEV1 2.9L
“Pharmacy is a diverse profession. Where there is a medication to be used or
discussed or a disease to be prevented, your imagination is the limit of what you can
do with your degree.” –Dr. Lindsey
Questions?
Mahalia [email protected]