Career decision making

Part 2

In community-based long-term care, the resident may simply need assistance with taking their medications at the right time or with preparing meals.

In fact, the resident may be living at home, and the long-term care service may be a nurse or personal assistant who comes by once a day to help with such activities.

Long term care pharmacy

This is the world of the long term care pharmacist, who is also called a consultant pharmacists because the relationship between the facility or agency and the pharmacist is most often contractual

Salaries for consultant pharmacist usually start out between the independent/hospital range and the chain range.

Many pharmacists have come to love consultant pharmacy. It combines the clinical aspects of hospital pharmacy with the patient contact and business challenges of community pharmacy.

Common frustrations with consultant pharmacy include the travel associated with monthly drug regimen review and the direct contact with the nurses and physicians caring for the residents.

Since many residents of nursing homes are older or have incurable conditions ( such as those with Alzheimer's disease), the work is not dramatically rewarding as in the hospital.

Nursing homes usually expect a pharmacist to be " on call " at night and on weekends, which could frustrate the pharmacist who values his or her personal time.

Managed care refers to health care provided by corporations which are really a form of insurance

Managed care and home care

The home care market is centered around the specialized needs of patients who have a short or long term need for products such as intravenous antibiotic solutions, intravenous nutritional solutions, or enteral (via the mouth or stomach) nutritional feedings.

Since the managed and home care markets are growing rapidly and because students are not as familiar with these settings, pharmacist positions are plentiful.

Salaries in these pharmacies are very similar to other entry-level positions. Pay scales for entry-level chain pharmacy jobs are probably higher, but independent, hospital, and consultant positions would be quite similar to the salaries found in managed care and home care.

The opportunities for advancement in these areas are still being defined.

Three other important career paths for pharmacists are in pharmaceutical industry, government, and associations.

Pharmaceutical industry employs pharmacists in

sales, marketing, government affairs, drug information, research, management, professional relations, and executive positions.

Long term (but may be not starting) salaries and benefits can be higher in industry, and pharmacists who prefer a competitive, dynamic, and growing workplace like work with the industry.

Other careers for pharmacists

Many companies start pharmacists out "carrying the bag" meaning as pharmaceutical representatives to physicians, hospitals, and pharmacies- but this is becoming less common.

A variety of positions are possible for pharmacists in government. Federal organizations such as the food and drug administration employ pharmacists.

No one goes to work for the government because of the salaries, or even for the job stability these days.

Pharmacists are also often elected to positions of leadership by their constituents. At the local level, pharmacists are often intimately involved with politics and other positions.

As the best educated person in any community who is directly accessible to the public, pharmacists are very well-respected people.

Another potential career path is in the field of association management.

Salaries in association work are not much higher than those in government, but the benefits are good, with travel to pharmacy conventions and lots of contact with colleagues a part of the "job".

Many pharmacists work with the industry, government, or associations. For these pharmacists, the rewards are very satisfying.

Job is an activity through which an individual can earn money for short term period

A career is the pursuit of a lifelong ambition or the general course of progression towards lifelong goals for long term period

What is the difference between Job and Career?

Hospital/Health-system administration pharmacists are members of the pharmacy leadership team and are responsible for assuring the safe and effective provision of pharmacy services in order to ensure optimal patient outcomes.

The functions of Pharmacists in Hospital

Hospital pharmacy Advice patient and answer their questions

about medications Prepare drug prescription Check medications doses Check drug - drug interactions Advice Health care professional and answer

their questions about medications

They provide drug information and monitor drug therapy. Clinical pharmacists ensure medications are administered appropriately to optimize patient treatments.

Clinical Pharmacist The previous rule in addition to: Reviewing patient file regularly Make rotations Preparing and following parenteral nutrition

The functions of Clinical Pharmacists

Academic Education Research Administration

The functions of Pharmacists - Academic

Community pharmacists serve the community by providing information on health, medications and other related topics.

Pharmacists must be knowledgeable about drugs' compositions, their manufacturers and usage and be aware of possible drug interactions.

The functions of Pharmacists in Community Pharmacy

Community Pharmacy Advice patient and answer their questions

about medications Check medications and doses Check drug - drug interactions