Great Article on skills needed by Pharmacists

Top skills you need to be a pharmacist

By Alison Hart, special for USATODAY.com

With a growing elderly population in increasing need of health care and medications, the demand for licensed pharmacists in the U.S. far outstrips the supply. Retail chains will pay top dollar in the bidding war with hospitals, drug companies and managed care firms for qualified candidates.
With about 10,000 unfilled positions, the job outlook "is only going to get better," says Steve Croke, president of Pharmacy Choice, a Web-based portal headquartered in Denver, Colo., that offers career placement and development services for pharmacists.

Being a pharmacist is not just about counting pills. To succeed in the field, pharmacists need these 10 skills:

1. Memorization. Before you fill the prescription, you need to remember everything you learned — even once you receive your license. Pharmacists must know about hundreds of drugs — from their generic and brand names to their side effects and possible drug interactions. Pharmacists stay current on the latest drugs entering the market through required continuing education. The number of CE's pharmacists must take every two years to renew their license varies state to state, but there are many opportunities to help study for these exams. Web sites such as www.RxSchool.com, drug companies, hospitals and pharmaceutical journals like The Pharmacist's Letter and Drug Topics all sponsor CE courses.

2. Attention to detail. Suzanne Richards, chief executive officer of Tustin Hospital and Medical Center in California, looks for someone who is organized when she screens job candidates. In a field where there is little room for error, "You want them to pick the right drug, and you want them to give the right dosage, and you want them to count out the right amount" of pills, she says. An accurate inventory is important in hospitals and retail chains, but it is especially critical in a research setting, where the FDA regulates drug accountability in clinical trials.

3. Strong math and science skills. Pharmacists have strong backgrounds in chemistry, biology, biochemistry and statistics. Pharmacists use skills from these fields everyday to calculate doses and study patient profiles.

4. Preparing drugs. The traditional pharmacist wears a white lab coat and counts pills all day. In some independent retail pharmacies, this is still the case. But more and more, pharmacists are delegating routine activities such as pill counting and billing to certified pharmacy technicians and devoting more time to patients and doctors. Certified pharmacy technicians can receive training through Web sites, such as www.RxTechSchool.com, which offers an 18-week preparatory course for the national certification exam. Many retail chains also offer their own in-house programs for technicians.

5. Drug knowledge and assessment. It's key to have a genuine interest in drugs, drug therapy and how drugs work. Pharmacists are key in the health-delivery system; they're the back-up check for the doctor, Croke says. Although doctors prescribe the drugs, pharmacists often have more information about other medications a patient is taking, past allergies and existing conditions. As technicians take on more behind-the-counter duties, the pharmacist's role is moving increasingly into patient assessment.

6. Working with people. Retail pharmacists deal with customers, hospital pharmacists see patients during grand rounds, and both consult with doctors as respected members of the health-care team. While most pharmacists learned how to work with people during residencies and internships, some find themselves ill equipped to transfer from the hospital to the retail environment.

7. Supervising others. Once solitary professionals, pharmacists now frequently have a staff of support personnel beneath them. Whether you're a retail or hospital pharmacist overseeing a technician's work or a study coordinator managing research effort, it's important to be able to give direction clearly and tactfully.

8. Computer literacy. Although some independent retail pharmacies have yet to connect to the Internet, computerization is growing throughout the industry. While doctors still scribble scripts in an illegible hand, that is likely to change soon. "The electronic transmission of prescriptions," according to Croke, "is going to be the next wave."

9. Specialty training. With further training, pharmacists can specialize in the treatment of certain chronic diseases, such as asthma or diabetes. The American Diabetes Association offers continuing education credits to pharmacists who attend their annual Scientific Sessions or regional postgraduate courses.

10. Teaching. If you excelled in your pharmacy school study group, then teaching is a valuable component of your skill set. All pharmacists are "expected to educate the person on the medication that they're taking," Richards says. In clinical and research settings, the need for teachers is even greater. "Even the pharmaceutical companies need pharmacists to educate their sales force," Croke says.