A Pharmacist is a medical professional who dispenses drugs to patients according to a prescription ordered by a physician or other clinician. Pharmacists have an in-depth knowledge of the chemistry of various drugs and how they react in humans, and also how drugs interact with each other. Pharmacists must accurately measure and package medicine, ensuring its dosage and safety to be administered properly to a patient. While the Pharmacist does not typically select or prescribe the medication, the Pharmacist educates the patient on how to take the medication and what reactions or problems to be avoided.

Pharmacists graduating from college today are required to have a PharmD, or doctorate of Pharmacy degree. College students can start a four-year pharmacy program after successfully completing two years of undergraduate coursework and earning a passing score on the PCAT (Pharmacy college admission test). Coursework in pharmacy and pre-pharmacy includes chemistry, physics, biology; anatomy, and physiology. PharmD students must also complete a series of rotations in various clinical and pharmaceutical settings.
If a student knows early in his or her college career that they would like to become a Pharmacist, one could graduate with a PharmD in about 6 years. Most of the time, college students do not decide until later in college or after college to become a Pharmacist so 8 years of college may be necessary to complete the program.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for Pharmacists is $98,960, based on 2007 data. According to Sherrie Nackie, CPC, who specializes in Pharmacist recruitment for Hire Dynamics Rx in Atlanta, their average contract (temporary hourly) Pharmacist job pays $50.00-$60.00 per hour, which equates to $100,000-$120,000 annualized income, assuming a full-time schedule. Additionally, a signing bonus of $5,000-$15,000 may be offered upon accepting and starting a position. Signing bonuses help keep Pharmacists locked into a job for up to three years.

Demand is strong and pay is high for this medical career. Therefore Pharmacists enjoy job security and stability, and availability of jobs in just about any location nationwide. A variety of options and work settings are available for Pharmacists as well.

As with nursing and some other high-demand medical careers, burn-out can be an issue. While Pharmacists earn a strong salary, the annual salary and job description doesn’t change much over a Pharmacist's career. Once you become a Pharmacist, most likely you will be doing the same thing 15 years from now for the same pay, as what you experience right out of college.

Furthermore, Pharmacists must stand on their feet all day and the work can be repetitive. One other concern for Pharmacists is maintaining clean licensure. A single error in dispensing medication can have catastrophic results and damage one's career.

Once licensed, pharmacists can choose from a variety of work settings and types of pharmacist jobs, including retail pharmacies, hospitals, corporations, long-term care facilities and more. According to Sherrie Nacke of Hire Dynamics Rx, there is not much variation in salary from one setting to the other, but the work schedule and duties vary in each position. Therefore, different roles may appeal to different types of personalities and individuals who become pharmacists.

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