Pharmacists process prescriptions and dispense medications.
They have knowledge of different treatments and medicines, giving patients advice and instructions on the safe use of medication.
They also provide advice on how to live a healthier lifestyle, carry out some health screenings, administer immunizations, and keep records of medications used by patients.
Pharmacists work in hospitals, clinics, drug stores, and pharmacies.
There are often pharmacies inside larger shopping malls and supermarkets.
To become a pharmacist a person is required to have a Doctor of Pharmacy qualification, which is a 4-year professional degree. Along with passing two exams to receive a licence to practice.
Pharmacist Salary
How much do pharmacists make in the US? An average pharmacist’s salary is . This the median wage across the whole of the US.
Pharmacies are open long hours, meaning that most pharmacists work full time. Around 1 of every 5 works part time. It’s not unusual for pharmacists to work shifts, late nights, weekends and over holidays
Top 5 Paying States
| Flag | State | Employment per 1000 Jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alaska | 1.48 | $65.54 | $136,320 |
 | California | 1.87 | $63.54 | $132,160 |
 | Maine | 2.13 | $62.07 | $129,100 |
 | New Hampshire | 1.71 | $59.88 | $124,540 |
 | Wisconsin | 2.05 | $59.28 | $123,290 |
Top Paying Industries
| Industry | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 0.03 | $62.40 | $129,790 |
| Warehousing and Storage | 0.02 | $61.60 | $128,130 |
| Offices of Physicians | 0.21 | $61.32 | $127,550 |
| General Merchandise Stores | 0.91 | $61.22 | $127,350 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 0.53 | $60.57 | $125,980 |
Pharmacist Job Description
What do pharmacists do? Pharmacists process prescriptions and serve patients medicines. As well as offering their expertise and advice. They typically have a few key duties, which include:
- Checking and fulfilling prescriptions, then giving advice when administering medicine.
- Cross check prescriptions to see if they will conflict with current medications.
- Give patients advice about dosages, potential side-effects, and duration of treatments.
- Fill out insurance forms and documents to ensure patients receive the correct medications.
- Administer flu shots and other vaccinations.
- Work with and train other healthcare workers in the same pharmacy.
- Carry out a range of administration tasks, involving paperwork and computer based records.
- Give patients advice about lifestyle and health choices.
Some pharmacies are family run business, or part of a chain.
A pharmacist can own their own pharmacy, and will be more involved with the day-to-day operations of the business.
As with all healthcare professions, there is an ongoing learning curve. There is a need to constantly go on courses to keep up to date with the latest medicines, and healthcare news.
Some pharmacists are involved in a process called compounding, which means mixing their own drugs.
Here are the most common types of pharmacists:
Community pharmacists – These work in independently owned drug stores, typically located in retail stores. They provide a range of healthcare services for the community, and process prescriptions.
Clinical pharmacists – These work in hospitals, clinics, and some other health care practices. They are more involved with patient care, and spend less time processing prescriptions. Often doing the rounds of patients in hospital with the rest of the healthcare team.
Consultant pharmacists – They typically act on a consultancy, giving advice to insurance providers and healthcare facilities. They also offer support to some patients, with advice on healthcare and medicine.
Pharmaceutical industry pharmacists – They work in the marketing, research and development, and sales areas. They are involved in conducting clinical drug trials, developing new drugs and ensuring the drugs meet all the strict regulations.
As you can see from the above, a pharmacist’s career path can be a varied and interesting one. There is a lot of scope for entering different industries, and being involved with medication from its initial testing, to the trial and rollout phase.
Pharmacist Career Outlook
The outlook for pharmacists is a projected growth of 6% until 2026. This is around the average for all occupations, and there are several factors that contribute to this increase.
There is an aging population, and this is having a massive impact on the medical sector in general.
Older people use more medicine than the younger generation, so this contributes to the increase in pharmacists required.
There is also a higher rate of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart conditions.
Another factor leading to a demand in medications, along with the ongoing research that goes into developing new drugs.
As the healthcare sector continues to grow, and the number of patients increase, there will be a rise in demand for pharmacies and pharmacists to dispense and advise on the medication.
Pharmacist Salary by State
| Flag | State | Employment per 1000 Jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alabama | 2.784 | $58.66 | $122,010 |
| Alaska | 1.477 | $65.54 | $136,320 |
 | Arizona | 2.319 | $57.35 | $119,280 |
 | Arkansas | 2.519 | $54.68 | $113,730 |
| California | 1.871 | $63.54 | $132,160 |
 | Colorado | 2.066 | $55.96 | $116,390 |
 | Connecticut | 1.723 | $57.41 | $119,420 |
 | Delaware | 1.866 | $54.77 | $113,920 |
 | Florida | 2.632 | $54.99 | $114,380 |
 | Georgia | 2.354 | $56.36 | $117,220 |
 | Hawaii | 1.889 | $56.05 | $116,590 |
 | Idaho | 1.989 | $54.32 | $112,980 |
 | Illinois | 1.962 | $55.91 | $116,290 |
 | Indiana | 2.194 | $55.55 | $115,540 |
 | Iowa | 2.409 | $48.44 | $100,750 |
 | Kansas | 2.369 | $57.33 | $119,240 |
 | Kentucky | 2.397 | $58.70 | $122,090 |
 | Louisiana | 2.31 | $54.36 | $113,070 |
| Maine | 2.132 | $62.07 | $129,100 |
 | Maryland | 2.153 | $57.80 | $120,230 |
 | Massachusetts | 2.072 | $54.49 | $113,330 |
 | Michigan | 2.176 | $54.21 | $112,760 |
 | Minnesota | 1.872 | $58.60 | $121,880 |
 | Mississippi | 2.41 | $57.94 | $120,520 |
 | Missouri | 2.249 | $58.91 | $122,530 |
 | Montana | 2.792 | $51.28 | $106,670 |
 | Nebraska | 2.582 | $48.38 | $100,630 |
 | Nevada | 1.621 | $57.62 | $119,850 |
| New Hampshire | 1.712 | $59.88 | $124,540 |
 | New Jersey | 2.196 | $56.52 | $117,560 |
 | New Mexico | 2.114 | $56.80 | $118,130 |
 | New York | 2.142 | $57.16 | $118,900 |
 | North Carolina | 2.235 | $59.16 | $123,050 |
 | North Dakota | 1.69 | $54.64 | $113,660 |
 | Ohio | 2.202 | $55.31 | $115,050 |
 | Oklahoma | 2.465 | $54.60 | $113,570 |
 | Oregon | 2.133 | $58.51 | $121,700 |
 | Pennsylvania | 2.194 | $53.06 | $110,360 |
 | Rhode Island | 2.631 | $52.84 | $109,900 |
 | South Carolina | 2.621 | $55.96 | $116,400 |
 | South Dakota | 2.84 | $52.10 | $108,360 |
 | Tennessee | 2.993 | $57.05 | $118,670 |
 | Texas | 1.871 | $57.15 | $118,870 |
 | Utah | 1.861 | $56.73 | $117,990 |
 | Vermont | 1.637 | $59.08 | $122,890 |
 | Virginia | 1.923 | $56.90 | $118,360 |
 | Washington | 1.956 | $57.42 | $119,430 |
 | West Virginia | 3.152 | $55.77 | $116,010 |
| Wisconsin | 2.053 | $59.28 | $123,290 |
 | Wyoming | 1.857 | $53.88 | $112,070 |
Top paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Employment per 1000 jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz / Watsonville, CA | 1.78 | $79.25 | $164,850 |
| Gadsden, AL | 2.76 | $74.97 | $155,940 |
| Fresno, CA | 2.08 | $69.22 | $143,980 |
| Chico, CA | 2.72 | $68.45 | $142,380 |
| Anniston / Oxford, AL | 2.10 | $67.71 | $140,830 |
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas
| Area | Employment per 1000 jobs | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Alabama – nonmetropolitan area | 3.66 | $91.50 | $190,320 |
| Southeast Alaska – nonmetropolitan area | 1.12 | $70.06 | $145,730 |
| Southern Texas – nonmetropolitan area | 0.85 | $68.76 | $143,030 |
| Railbelt – Southwest Alaska – nonmetropolitan area | 1.04 | $68.38 | $142,230 |
| Southeast Missouri – nonmetropolitan area | 2.22 | $68.14 | $141,730 |
