The Many Careers of Pharmacy By: Pre-Pharmacy Club 2015-2016 Exec Board

Careers in Pharmacy: Clinical Pharmacist

What is a Clinical Pharmacist? Work directly with physicians, other health professionals, and patients to ensure that the medications prescribed contribute to the best possible health outcomes Educated and trained in direct patient care environments, including medical centers, clinics, and a variety of other health care settings Perform a full range of medication decision-making functions as part of the patient’s health care team. Specialized knowledge and clinical experience is usually gained through residency and specialist board certification.

Where do you find a Clinical Pharmacist? Hospitals and their affiliated outpatient clinics Emergency departments Community pharmacies Physicians’ offices Community-based clinics Nursing homes Managed care organizations

How to Become a Clinical Pharmacist? Pharmacy School Pharm D 1-2 year residency highly recommended State Licensure

Industrial Pharmacist Careers in Pharmacy: Industrial Pharmacist

Industrial Pharmacy Area of the pharmaceutical field that is specialized in creating new and groundbreaking drugs and medications They are also responsible for determining if medications developed by pharmaceutical companies have both the right ingredients and the correct amount of these ingredients. It’s a field in which pharmacists can make a real difference in the lives of people who use medications to treat a variety of illnesses and conditions.

Skills and Characteristics The ability to think logically and practically Being able to demonstrate initiative and a problem solving approach to everyday work A degree of adaptability to change and adopting new strategies and ways of working Communication skills A persistent and meticulous nature towards always attaining high standards and quality

Educational Requirements Industrial Pharmacists must have: a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm D degree) from an accredited college or university A pharmacist’s license

Responsibilities and Duties Industrial pharmacists: research drug compounds and develop new medications based on research. Test medications for efficiency and safety Oversee the production process to ensure medications are produced accurately Engage in marketing and promoting new drugs to consumers, hospitals and doctors' offices. conduct clinical drug trials and evaluate the results of these trials to gauge a drug’s effectiveness and to determine potential risks or side effects.

Career Outlook and Salary According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average median wage for pharmacists was $111,000 per year. The BLS predicts job growth to increase by 25 percent between 2010 and 2020. This is due in large part to the growing number of Baby Boomers who will reach retirement age in the next decade. As this generation grows older, the resulting increase in medical conditions and the need for pharmaceutical treatment will rise.

Where can you work? During early stages of drug development pharmacists work in research and formulation development where they will spend time designing and investigating various potential dosage forms for a particular drug substance. They may also be involved in the development of analytical and microbiological methodologies essential for the testing and validation of a particular product Once formulation has been developed and approved a prospective drug will then progress to being manufactured on a larger scale, often to conduct phase I or II clinical trials Eventually a drug may then be manufactured for commercial release. Pharmacists are employed both within the manufacturing and production areas, as well as in quality assurance. After having extensive experience A pharmacist becomes eligible for performing the role of a Qualified Person (QP) who, is defined as the quality assurance professional for medicines

Informatics Pharmacist Careers in Pharmacy: Informatics Pharmacist

What is Pharmacy Informatics? A relatively new sub-field within pharmacy An interface of health care, computer science, and bioinformatics Informatics pharmacists work with data and information Help improve patient care

What Do Informatics Pharmacists Do? Have a wide array of responsibilities: Maintain medical databases and health records Improve & streamline communication among health professionals Monitor and analyze medical treatments (especially involving drugs) Teamwork in a multi-disciplinary teams

How Do I Become an Informatics Pharmacist? Post-graduate education (Johns Hopkins has one) Bachelor’s degree or aptitude in bioinformatics or related field Must still have extensive clinical and scientific knowledge!

Career Possibilities with Pharmacy Academia Informatics Ambulatory Care Long Term Care Clinical Pharmacy Mail Service Community Pharmacy Managed Care Independent Medical Communications/Drug Information Chain Compounding Pharmacy Nuclear Pharmacy Contract Research Organization Office-Based Medication Management Corporate Management Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) Government/Federal Pharmacy Home Health Care Pharmacy Law/Regulatory Affairs/Public Policy Health System Pharmacy Inpatient Specialty Pharmacy Outpatient Industrial Pharmacy