Pharmacists are health professionals For purposes of finance and management, the healthcare industry is typically divided into several groups and sectors. The Global Industry Classification Standard and the Industry Classification Benchmark divide the industry into two main groups: health care equipment & services and (2) pharmaceuticals, biotechnology & related life sciences who practice the science of pharmacy Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs. The word derives from the Greek φάρμακον , "drug, medicine" (the earliest form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek pa-ma-ko, attested in Linear B syllabic. In their traditional role, pharmacists typically take a request for medicines Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness. Before scientific medicine, healing arts were practised in accordance with alchemical treatments and ritual practices that developed out of religious and cultural traditions from a prescribing health care provider in the form of a medical prescription A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other medical practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient. Prescriptions may include orders to be performed by a patient, caretaker, nurse, pharmacist or other therapist. Commonly, the term prescription is used to mean an order, evaluate the appropriateness of the prescription, dispense the medication to the patient A patient is any person who receives medical attention, care, or treatment. The person is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician or other health care professional, although one who is visiting a physician for a routine check-up may also be viewed as a patient and counsel them on the proper use and adverse effects of that medication. In this role pharmacists act as a learned intermediary between physicians and patients and thus ensure the safe and effective use of medications. Pharmacists also participate in disease-state management, where they optimize and monitor drug therapy or interpret medical laboratory results – in collaboration with physicians and/or other health professionals. Advances into prescribing medication and in providing members of the public with health advice and services are occurring in Britain as well as the United States and Canada. Pharmacists have many areas of expertise and are a critical source of medical knowledge in clinics, hospitals, medical laboratory In France and in other countries like Portugal, Spain, Belgium or Switzerland, a Biological pharmacist is a Pharmacist specialized in Clinical Biology a speciality near from Clinical Pathology. He has almost the same rights than the Medical Doctor specialized in this discipline. They both call "Clinical biologist"" and community pharmacies throughout the world. Pharmacists also hold positions in the pharmaceutical industry The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies can deal in generic and/or brand medications. They are subject to a variety of laws and regulations regarding the patenting, testing and marketing of drugs as well as in pharmaceutical education and research and development New product design and development is more often than not a crucial factor in the survival of a company. In an industry that is fast changing, firms must continually revise their design and range of products. This is necessary due to continuous technology change and development as well as other competitors and the changing preference of customers institutions.

In much of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth British English, or UK English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere. The Oxford English Dictionary applies the term to English "as spoken or written in the British Isles; esp[ecially] the forms of English usual in Great Britain...", reserving " pharmacists are customarily sometimes referred to as chemist A chemist is a scientist trained in the science of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density, acidity, size and shape. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms. Chemists carefully measure substance (or dispensing chemists A dispensing chemist, in British English and Australian English, or pharmacist in North American English is a professional allowed to fulfil prescriptions),^[1] a usage which can, especially without a context relating to the sale or supply of medicines, cause confusion with scientists in the field of chemistry Chemistry is the science of matter and the changes it undergoes. The science of matter is also addressed by physics, but while physics takes a more general and fundamental approach, chemistry is more specialized, being concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical. This term is a historical one, since some pharmacists passed an examination in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (PhC) set by the then Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 1852 and these were known as "Pharmaceutical Chemists". This title is protected by the Medicines Act 1968 section 78.

The 1852 Pharmacy Act, June 30 established a Register of Pharmaceutical Chemists in Great Britain , restricted to those who had taken the Society’s exams. However, the Act did not restrict the practice of pharmacy to examined and registered people, nor provide a legal definition for the trade and practice of pharmacy. This was first done by the Pharmacy Act of 1868.^[2]

In the near future it is proposed by the Draft Pharmacy Order 2009 that the title "pharmacist" be restricted to those who register with a new Regulatory body - the General Pharmaceutical Council - due to be established to take this role over from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 2010.

History

In ancient Japan, the men who fulfilled roles similar to those of modern pharmacists were respected. The place of pharmacists in society was settled in the Taihō Code The Taihō Code or Code of Taihō was an administrative reorganization enacted in 701 in Japan, at the end of the Asuka period. It was historically one of the Ritsuryō-sei (律令制, ritsuryō-sei?). It was compiled at the direction of Prince Osakabe, Fujiwara no Fuhito and Awata no Mahito at the request of Emperor Mommu and, like many other (701) and re-stated in the Yōrō Code The Yōrō Code was a revision or modification of the earlier enacted Taihō Code. The compilation work started under Fujiwara no Fuhito, but the project was stopped abruptly when Fuhito died in 720. The Code was not enacted until 757, when Fujiwara no Nakamaro promulgated it under Empress Koken (718). Ranked positions in the pre-Heian The Heian period is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese Imperial court were established; and this organizational structure remained largely intact until the Meiji Restoration The Meiji Restoration , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution or Renewal, restored imperial rule to Japan in 1867. The Restoration was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure. It occurred in the later half of the 19th century, a period that spans both the late Edo period (often called Late (1868). In this highly stable hierarchy, the pharmacists—and even pharmacist assistants—were assigned status superior to all others in health-related fields such as physicians and acupuncturists. In the Imperial household, the pharmacist was even ranked above the two personal physicians of the Emperor.^[3]

Nature of the work

Historically, the fundamental role of pharmacists is to distribute drugs that have been prescribed by a healthcare practitioner to patients. In more modern times pharmacists advise patients and health care providers on the selection, dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications. Pharmacists monitor the health and progress of patients to ensure the safe and effective use of medication. In some cases, pharmacists may practice compounding (mixing ingredients to form medications); however, most medicines are produced by pharmaceutical companies in a standard dosage and drug delivery form. In some jurisdictions, pharmacists have prescriptive authority to either independently prescribe under their own authority or in collaboration with a primary care physician through an agreed upon protocol ^[4].

Pharmacists are trained in pharmacology Pharmacology is the study of drug action. (At the same time, φάρμακος, pharmakos, means: whipping-boy.) More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function. If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals, pharmacognosy Pharmacognosy is the study of medicines derived from natural sources. The American Society of Pharmacognosy defines pharmacognosy as "the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological properties of drugs, drug substances or potential drugs or drug substances of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural, chemistry Chemistry is the science of matter and the changes it undergoes. The science of matter is also addressed by physics, but while physics takes a more general and fundamental approach, chemistry is more specialized, being concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical, pharmaceutical chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacology involved with designing, synthesizing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and development of new chemical entities suitable for therapeutic use. It also includes the study of existing, microbiology Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes. Viruses, though not strictly classed as living organisms, are also studied. In short; microbiology refers to the study of life and organisms that are too small to be seen, pharmacy practice (including drug interactions Interaction is a kind of action that occurs as two or more objects have an effect upon one another. The idea of a two-way effect is essential in the concept of interaction, as opposed to a one-way causal effect. A closely related term is interconnectivity, which deals with the interactions of interactions within systems: combinations of many, medicine monitoring, medication management), pharmaceutics Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with all facets of the process of turning a new chemical entity into a medication able to be safely and effectively used by patients in the community. Pharmaceutics is the science of dosage form design. There are many chemicals with known pharmacological properties but a raw chemical is of no, pharmacy law, physiology Physiology is the science of the functioning of living systems. It is a subcategory of biology. In physiology, the scientific method is applied to determine how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells and biomolecules carry out the chemical or physical function that they have in a living system. The word physiology is from Ancient Greek: φύσις, anatomy Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy (zootomy) and plant anatomy (phytotomy). In some of its facets anatomy is closely related to embryology, comparative anatomy and comparative embryology, through common roots in, biochemistry Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes in living organisms. It deals with the structures and functions of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules. Over the last 40 years biochemistry has become so successful at explaining living processes that now almost all areas of the life, pharmacokinetics Pharmacokinetics, sometimes abbreviated as PK, is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to the determination of the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism. In practice this discipline is applied mainly to drug substances, though in principle it concerns itself with all manner of compounds ingested or otherwise delivered, drug delivery, pharmaceutical care, nephrology Nephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney, hepatology Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Etymologically the word Hepatology is formed of ancient Greek hepar or hepato-(ηπατο-) meaning ' liver' and suffix -logia(-λογια) meaning 'word' or 'speech'. Although traditionally, and compounding medications. Additional curriculum covers diagnosis with emphasis on laboratory tests, disease state management, therapeutics and prescribing (selecting the most appropriate medication for a given patient).

One of the most important roles that pharmacists are currently taking on is one of pharmaceutical care ^[5]. Pharmaceutical care involves taking direct responsibility for patients and their disease states, medications, and the management of each in order to improve the outcome for each individual patient. Pharmaceutical care has many benefits that include but are not limited to:

• Decreased medication errors
• Increased patient compliance in medication regimen
• Better chronic disease state management
• Strong pharmacist-patient relationship
• Decreased long-term costs of medical care

Pharmacists are often the first point-of-contact for patients with health inquiries. This means that pharmacists have large roles in the assessing medication management in patients, and in referring patients to physicians. These roles may include, but are not limited to:

• clinical medication management
• the assessment of patients with undiagnosed or diagnosed conditions and for decisions about the clinical medication management required.
• specialized monitoring of disease states
• reviewing medication regimens
• monitoring of treatment regimens
• delegating work
• general health monitoring
• compounding medicines
• general health advice
• providing specific education to patients about disease states and medications
• oversight of dispensing medicines on prescription
• provision of non-prescription medicines
• counseling and advice on optimal use of medicines
• advice and treatment of common ailments
• referrals to other health professionals if necessary
• dosing drugs in renal and hepatic failure
• pharmacokinetic evaluation
• education of physicians and other health care providers on medications and their proper use
• limited prescribing of medications only in collaboration with other health care professionals
• providing pharmaceutical information
• promoting public health by administering immunizations

Qualifications and registration

The role of pharmacy education, pharmacist licensing and graduate continuing education vary from country to country and between regions/localities within countries. In most countries, prospective pharmacists study pharmacy Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs. The word derives from the Greek φάρμακον , "drug, medicine" (the earliest form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek pa-ma-ko, attested in Linear B syllabic at a pharmacy school The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is an undergraduate or postgraduate Pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In most countries this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a Bachelor of Pharmacy or Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BScPhm) degree. In the United States, students graduating after or related institution. Upon graduation, they are licensed either nationally or by region to dispense medication of various types in the settings for which they have been trained.

In the United States, a pharmacist must complete 4 years of graduate level training at a pharmacy school The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is an undergraduate or postgraduate Pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In most countries this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a Bachelor of Pharmacy or Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BScPhm) degree. In the United States, students graduating after, usually after receiving a bachelors degree. A bachelors degree is not required, however, as most pharmacy schools only require two years of undergraduate education and the completion of a list of prerequisites. There are currently 116 accredited pharmacy schools in the United States, ( late 2009 ) and 6 of these schools offer "accelerated" 3 year PharmD programs by attending school almost year round - with less breaks for summer and holidays. There also is one fully accredited "distance/online" 4 year PharmD program offered by Creighton University. Pharmacists receive a PharmD A Doctor of Pharmacy is a doctorate first professional degree given to a person who has completed the highest level of academic study in the field of pharmacy. Qualifications to receive a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, as well as the privilege granted to holders of such a degree, vary from country to country (Doctor of Pharmacy) upon graduation, and licensure after passing the NAPLEX The NAPLEX, also known as the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination, is a standard examination created by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to help individual state boards of pharmacy assess an individual's competency and knowledge so that he or she may be given a license to practice and MPJE.

Earnings and Wage

2010 Pharmacy Compensation Survey"^[6]

• Directors of Pharmacy $125,200
• Retail Staff Pharmacists $113,600
• Hospital Staff Pharmacists $111,700
• Mail Order Staff Pharmacists $109,300
• Clinical Pharmacists $113,400

( United States Bureau of Labor Statistics - Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition ) :

Median annual wages of wage and salary pharmacists in May 2008 were $106,410. The middle 50 percent earned between $92,670 and $121,310 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $77,390, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $131,440 a year.

Specialties

Practice specialization

Specialties include:

• Academic pharmacist
• Clinical pharmacist Clinical pharmacy is the branch of Pharmacy where pharmacists and pharmaconomists provide patient care that optimizes the use of medication and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention. Clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmaconomists care for patients in all health care settings but the clinical pharmacy movement initially began inside (consisting of many subspecialties such as critical care, nephrology, cardiology, pediatrics, geriatrics, etc.)
• Community pharmacist
• Compounding pharmacist Compounding is the mixing of drugs by a pharmacist, physician, or veterinarian to fit the unique needs of a patient. This may be done for medically necessary reasons, such as to change the form of the medication from a solid pill to a liquid, to avoid a non-essential ingredient that the patient is allergic to, or to obtain the exact dose needed
• Consultant pharmacist A consultant pharmacist is a specialized pharmacist. The main principle of consultant pharmacy is Pharmaceutical care term developed by Hepler and Strand in 1990
• Drug information pharmacist
• Home Health pharmacist
• Hospital pharmacist Some pharmacists in hospital pharmacies may have more complex clinical medication management issues whereas pharmacists in community pharmacies often have more complex business and customer relations issues. Because of the complexity of the medication use system, many pharmacists practicing in hospitals gain more education and training after
• Industrial pharmacist
• Informatics pharmacist Health informatics, Health care informatics or medical informatics is the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care. It deals with the resources, devices, and methods required to optimize the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine. Health informatics tools include not only
• Locum Pharmacist
• Military Pharmacist
• Nuclear Pharmacist
• Oncology Pharmacist
• Regulatory-affairs pharmacist
• Veterinary pharmacist A Veterinary pharmacist is a specially-trained pharmacist who dispenses veterinary medicines and supplies over-the-counter products and advice to owners of companion animals and livestock.Veterinary pharmacists also advise the regulatory bodies and are involved in the formulation of veterinary drugs
• Pharmacist Clinical Pathologist Clinical pathology , Laboratory Medicine (Germany), Biopathology (Greece), or Clinical/Medical Biology (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, North and West Africa...) , is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the laboratory analysis of bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, and tissues using the tools of

Speciality practice accreditation

Australia

In Australia For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of the roughly 250 language groups. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the immediate north and discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by the British, accreditation exists only for certain specialties and is provided by professional bodies for the following:

• Consultant Pharmacist A consultant pharmacist is a specialized pharmacist. The main principle of consultant pharmacy is Pharmaceutical care term developed by Hepler and Strand in 1990 (AACPA), by the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy (AACP)
• Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP), by the Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy The Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy is a non-profit organization which has established a voluntary professional certification program for pharmacists. Pharmacists must pass a written examination to become certified and must re-certify every five years. Candidates are expected to be knowledgeable about principles of geriatric in conjunction with the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia [2]

France

• Biological pharmacist In France and in other countries like Portugal, Spain, Belgium or Switzerland, a Biological pharmacist is a Pharmacist specialized in Clinical Biology a speciality near from Clinical Pathology. He has almost the same rights than the Medical Doctor specialized in this discipline. They both call "Clinical biologist""
• Hospital pharmacist Some pharmacists in hospital pharmacies may have more complex clinical medication management issues whereas pharmacists in community pharmacies often have more complex business and customer relations issues. Because of the complexity of the medication use system, many pharmacists practicing in hospitals gain more education and training after

Portugal

In Portugal Portugal /ˈpɔɹtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, Mirandese: Pertual), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa; Mirandese: República Pertuesa), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and a pharmacist can become certified in recognized professional specialty practice areas by passing an examination administered by the Order of Pharmacists. The Order of Pharmacists certifies pharmacists in five specialties:

• Pharmaceutical Industry The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies can deal in generic and/or brand medications. They are subject to a variety of laws and regulations regarding the patenting, testing and marketing of drugs
• Hospital pharmacy Some pharmacists in hospital pharmacies may have more complex clinical medication management issues whereas pharmacists in community pharmacies often have more complex business and customer relations issues. Because of the complexity of the medication use system, many pharmacists practicing in hospitals gain more education and training after
• Comunitary pharmacy
• Clinical Analysis
• Regulatory Affairs

Spain

In Spain a pharmacist can become certified in recognized professional specialty practice areas by passing an examination in addition to spent two to four years of residency period in accredited hospital services and/or academic departments. The Minister of Health certifies pharmacists in eight specialties:

• Hospital pharmacy after four years residency period
• Industrial Pharmacy after two years residency period
• Pharmaceutical Analysis after two years residency period
• Clinical Analysis after four years residency period
• Nuclear Pharmacy after two years residency period
• Other specialities include Clinical Microbiology, Biochemistry and Inmunology

United States

In the United States, a pharmacist can become certified in recognized specialty practice areas by passing an examination administered by one of several credentialing boards.

• The Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties^[7] certifies pharmacists in six specialties:
  • Ambulatory Care pharmacy (starting 2011)
  • Nuclear pharmacy
  • Nutrition support pharmacy
  • Oncology pharmacy
  • Pharmacotherapy, which has two subspecialties:
    • Cardiology
    • Infectious disease
  • Psychiatric pharmacy
• The Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy certifies pharmacists in geriatrics specialty practice.
• The American Board of Applied Toxicology^[8] certifies pharmacists and other medical professionals in applied toxicology.

See also

• Apothecary
• Chemist
• Classification of Pharmaco-Therapeutic Referrals
• Dispensing chemist
• List of pharmacists
• List of pharmacy associations
• List of pharmacy schools
• Pharmaconomist
• Pharmacy
• Pharmacy technician
• Resident in pharmacy

References

1. ^ Definition of chemist on Dictionary.com retrieved 2008 December 28.
2. ^ "The History of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society". Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. http://www.rpsgb.org/pdfs/mussheethistrpsgb.pdf. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
3. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834) Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 434.
4. ^ http://www.rpsgb.org/worldofpharmacy/currentdevelopmentsinpharmacy/pharmacistprescribing/
5. ^ Cipolle RJ, Strand LM, Morley PC. Pharmaceutical care practice. 2nd ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill; 2004.
6. ^ [1]
7. ^ Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties
8. ^ ABAT Certification Examination Credentialing Information

• (Japanese) Asai,T. (1985). Nyokan Tūkai. Tokyo: Kōdan-Sha.
• (French) Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland....Click link for digitized, full-text copy of this book (in French)

External links

• Association of Community Pharmacists of India (ACPI)
• Pharmacy council of India (PCI)
• Pharmacy at the Open Directory Project
• International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)
• RPSGB Veterinary Pharmacist Education Programme (VPEP)
• International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF)
• Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
• Bangladeshi Pharmacist Association (BDPHARM)
• Canadian pharmacy technicians (rxpt.ca)
• Canadian Pharmacist Journal

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.

Categories: Healthcare occupations | Pharmacy

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