Pharmacists are important professionals in the wide area of health care, which is aimed at providing medicine that will be safe and effective for the patients. The role of a pharmacy specialist is not the same as that of a pharmacy technician that it seems because each position has its own tasks. In this article, we shall unearth and understand how pharmacy specialists and pharmacy technicians perceive their respective roles within the world of pharmacy careers.
The Role of a Pharmacy Specialist
A pharmacy specialist is a well trained professional who understands the working mechanism of various drugs on human health. They are professionals who superintend dispensing of medications in diverse situations including hospitals, clinics, and pharmaceutical companies.
Education and Training
It is through intensive education and training that one can specialize in pharmacy. Doctors of Pharmacy have generally obtained a Pharm.D degree, which is accomplished through completion of a four year pharmacy program done after getting an undergraduate degree.
Responsibilities and Expertise
This entails a good working knowledge on drugs’ pharmacodynamics and therapeutics among other issues. They work in close relationship with doctors, nurses, or any health care professional at large to maximize drug therapy for every patient involved.
It is the duty of pharmacists to evaluate prescribed prescriptions as well as consult patients about the appropriate usage of medications and what adverse effects may occur. In addition, they might carry out researches, participate in clinical trials or contribute towards new drugs formulation.
Career Opportunities and Growth
The pharmacy specialists have a whole range of career prospects. Health care facilities and academic or research institutes, hospitals, and drug houses are among the possible working environments for them. Some of them also decide to become professors or researchers in pharmacy schools.
The Role of a Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy technicians might be less educated than pharmacy specialists but they contribute greatly to the everyday running of a pharmacy. These are other allied health professionals who work under the prescription of a pharmacists in the different pharmacies’ settings.
Education and Training
Individuals wanting to be pharmacy technicians usually go through a structured program that takes between several months and a year. This is a package consisting of different educational elements for teaching pharmaceutical calculations, distributing medical drugs, and managing inventories.
Responsibilities and Expertise
The duties of a pharmacy technician span across all aspects of a pharmacy. They help in drug dispensing, pill counting, and preparation of medications.
The pharmacy technician interacts frequently with patients and medical staff. Information on drugs is very important and it involves instructing patients regarding how to take their drugs, what the drugs could cause as side effects and how to store the drugs.
Career Opportunities and Growth
Pharmacy technology is a huge area with many job opportunities available to anyone who wants to be employed by the health care system. Pharmacy technicians can be found working in different setup such as retail pharmacies in different setting like hospital, LTC facility and mail order pharmacy.
With a growing responsibility placed on pharmacy technicians, there arises scope for career progression. For instance, some pharmacy technicians may focus on sterile compounding or even go back to school for a higher degree before becoming specialized pharmacists.
Conclusion
Therefore, pharmacy profession is very appealing to those people who want to make the contribution to the health status of the people they are dealing with. While pharmacists and pharmacy technician have different levels of educational background and scope of practice, the roles they serve are equally important in ensuring safe and proper medication use. The diversity of career options available in the healthcare industry is a significant reason why pharmacy presents itself as an area which has tremendous potential.