Pharmacist Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Is there any pharmacist or pharmacist techs or pharmacy assistants that can help me? How do you like being a pharmacist? Is being a pharmacist tech like being a pharmacist but with lower pay? How old do you have to be to be a pharmacist assistant?

Answer: If you have a pharmacy near you, why don't you make an appointment to see the pharmacist . He has the experience and will give you his best opinion. What do we know.

Question: Does a pharmacist have any purview to question a doctor regarding how a prescribed medication will be used? This is not in the case of a drug interaction or even a controlled substance. The drug prescribed was an antibiotic and the doctor's script said to "take as directed." The pharmacist would not fill the prescription until the doctor explained why he prescribed so many and included explicit instructions on how the patient should take the medication. Already these are great answers - thanks so much; exactly what I needed to know.

Answer: A pharmacist can refuse to fill for many reasons. Most hate "use as directed" type prescriptions. The current movement is to refuse to fill those scripts. There are a couple of chains who have a policy to refuse to fill those kinds of scripts. Eventually, prescribers will get the message and will start writing directions for all prescriptions. A lot of pharmacists see it as a liability issue.

Question: Will my subscription to the pharmacist letter qualify as a tax deduction? I'm a pharmacist and I am wondering if I subscribe to the pharmacist letter which is a means of getting professional CE, if I can deduct the cost of membership from my 2008 taxes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: Yes. With a huge "but"... It goes on form 2106 (employee business expenses), which eventually goes onto your schedule A (Itemized deductions), and is subject to a 2% of your AGI limitation. If you take the standard deduction, then there's not point in itemizing. If you already itemize, then the deduction you mention will ONLY matter if the total of your 2106 plus certain other less common deductions all add up to more than 2% of your AGI. In most cases - it ain't gonna help a whit.

Question: What is the salary of a pharmacist specialising in a certain field? Does the salary of a pharmacist specializing in a certain field, such as HIV, differ from that of a general pharmacist?

Answer: It depends on the specialty be generally you will hit six figures, but not until after a lot of school and some lowerpaying hours in the beginning doing clincal work or interning.

Question: What are the guidelines for a pharmacist who has a moral problem with dispensing the morning after pill? My Boss and I have very heated discussing sometimes about different issues today we got on morning after pill and pharmacist who don't dispense them. We both took sides of the argument one saying that its the pharmacist decision on we he or she wants to sell and the other saying its there job to dispense that medicines even if they have a moral problem with it. Can anyone help us out on the issue. And please on Right wing or Left wing nuts just plain facts.

Answer: Referall to another pharmacist willing to dispense the medication would be appropriate. But on the other hand, a pharmacist would be expected to be up to date with the current medical literature on the morning after pill. I'll summarize: The main objection to the morning after pill is that it could theoretically impair implantation. Since at this stage, egg have met sperm, there are individuals who consider this as an abortion. While literature for the 1980s indicated this was possible, it did not accurately indicate the relative frequency this would occur. More accurate data in the 90s estimate that the the morning after pill would interfere with implantation of a fertilized egg in between 1 in 10 million uses ad 1 in 75 million uses. Moreover, that it does so with a similar mechanism to Coxibs and possibly some of the NSAIDs. The basic point of this is that if you are objecting to the morning after pill on the grounds that it is an abortion because it can interfere with implantation, you should also not be dispensing Celebrex, ibuprofen and hormonal birth control as well. These share the same probability and mechanism for impairing implantation, all astronomically rare. Objecting to the morning after pill on the grounds that it is an abortion causing drug is scientifically meritless.

Question: I am Ghanaian trained Pharmacist who wants to register in New York or New Jersey, where do i start from? I completed Pharmacy school in 2005, did 1500hrs of internship and wrote the Ghana Pharmacy Professional Qualifying Exam and passed in 2006. i am currently working as a Pharmacist in a hospital. Who should i contact for information about the exams, schools, fees etc?

Answer: Go to New Jersey.gov and New York.gov for a Department of Licensing or Board of Pharmacy to find the authority that issues licenses. Tell them about your situation. They could advise you as to whether it would be possible to advance your education with a graduate degree in the US to qualify to take the exam. Best wishes.

Question: what classes are required to become a pharmacist? i am a resent high school grad. now that i finished high school i am planning on going to a community college but i already know i want to become a pharmacist. what i dont know is what classes are needed to become a pharmacist. does anyone know what classes i need to take? please help!

Answer: I think the what is suggested by another person was good. You start by going to the pharmacy schools of interest and ask them for the prerequisite requirements. Usually they have a sheet with tables listing all the science, social science and humanity classes needed. Then you look them over and look at your community college's catalog/schedule. Some classes are in sequence such that you have to take the first one in the Fall quarter/semester. So watch out for that. Sometimes the schedule and catalog are a bit confusing. In that case speak with your college's counselors. They are very helpful. I cannot speak for all pharmacy schools. In general, you need physics, chemistry (general and organic), calculus, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, biochemistry and others for the science groups. One may ask why you need calculus for pharmacy. Don't they just count by five? You do not need it on the job. However, when you study pharmacokinetic in your second year, the knowlege of calculus can help you to understand better how certain drugs are metabolized and eliminated from the body's different compartments. Physiology and microbiology are important as consultant pharmacists and hospital pharmacists are asked from times to times to recommend a drug based on patients' parameters (e.g. kidney function, size, liver functions) and the infectious agents's sensitivity to the drugs tested. So pay close attention to those classes. In retail pharmacy, you will be asked a lot about recommendation and the properties of drugs a lot. So having a good grasp of physiology, therapeutics and pharmaceutical chemistry help you to explain information better to patients and providers. Also, it helps you to weed out some prescriptions there are written erroneously and those that do not make sense. The knowledge help you to protect your patients from unnecessary injuries and, in the worst case, death. Remember, to err is human. Catching others' and your own mistakes will be your daily living as a pharmacist. Pharmacy admission committee usually wants to see some real life experience. For your benefit, I recommend you to volunteer in retail and in long-term care pharmacy. You probably end up just doing a lot of filing in hospital pharmacy as a volunteer. That may not be fun. Hope that help and best wishes.

Question: Has anyone shadowed a pharmacist? How did you go about doing that and what was the experience like? I would like to shadow a pharmacist from as many fields as possible. I just want to hear from people who have done this before and what is your advise for someone like me. I am applying to pharmacy school this year.

Answer: No, I never did that. I would imagine that you would have to make friends with a Pharmacist first.

Question: What happens if a pharmacist, dispensing tablets in a bottle, drops a pill onto the floor? Must they have someone witness the pharmacist disposing of it, like nurses have to?

Answer: Yes, it is logged and discarded.

Question: Can me becoming a Pharmacist eventually lead to something big happening in which I can contribute to humanity? I really want to become a person that can change humanity for the better. I want to help society. Can being a pharmacist control this? I realize there are so many other job options, I'm interested in a lot of them. I'm also interested in diet and nutrition, in studying viruses and trying to find cures for them, ect.

Answer: I can't see how being a pharmacist would change humanity for the better. You work in a chemist, you read scripts that doctors have written and you dispense medicines all day. However, if you want to help humanity and work in something medical you should maybe think about working for Doctors Without Borders (also known as Médecins Sans Frontières): http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/work/ .

Question: I am an egyptian pharmacists How can i get a pharmacist license to work in the USA? I am an egyptian pharmacists How can i get a pharmacist license to work in the USA? I got my Pharm.D. degree from an egyptian university do i need an equivalence pharmacology certificate? or what do I need?

Answer: If you have an equivalent degree, you can attempt to become licensed. First, you must reside in a state which allows non-citizens to practice pharmacy. You will have to apply to both NABP and your state board of pharmacy. The NABP will require proof of education. If they deem your education is equivalent, than you can take the TOEFL and the FPGEE. The FPGEE is only offered twice a year at three locations. Most fail the first time, though. If you pass those two exams, you will talk with your state board of pharmacy and choose your internship site. You will have to work a set number of hours. Once you have proof of completing those hours, you will get a certificate from your state board of pharmacy, allowing you to take the regular licensing exams: NAPLEX and MJPE from the NABP. If you pass those exams, you are a licensed pharmacist. After length of time to completion is 1-2 years.

Question: How do you become a pharmacist in Norway? I'm planning on attending UiO next year (University of Oslo) and after my foundation year, I will like to be a pharmacist there (or do they call them chemists?). Any information would be great.

Answer: I am sorry, i tried looking up your answer on various websites and even posted the Question on a site much similar to this but have had no response. if i do in future. i will let you know. for now sorry. try going to wiki though

Question: What are the requirements to work as a pharmacist in London? I am a Filipino pharmacist and I am interested to work in London. How can I apply or what are the requirements for a foreigner pharmacist to work in London? Thank you.

Answer: A pharmaceutical company must hire you and when accepted, request for a certificate of the employment contract and use it to apply for a working visa in the British Embassy in Manila.

Question: Is it legal for a pharmacist to project your future medicine expenses? My attorney wants my pharmacist to project how much I will spend on medicines in the future. I think this is ridiculous. . .

Answer: Yes it's perfectly legal and in medical lawsuits where a cash settlement is being pursued, it's fairly important

Question: How can I become a pharmacist in New York State? I am unclear what type of degree is needed to become a pharmacist. I've heard of a pharmD, as a 5-6 year program, but I've also heard of just getting a Bachelor's. There don't seem to be many schools that offer programs. I have a B.A. in Psychology, so I am unsure whether any of my coursework can count towards a degree. Would I have to start over for a pharmacy program? Thanks for your help. I have tried to do some research online but have come up with very little.

Answer: the Psychology degree won't cover much in the way of prereqs. While every school has different requirements, you can pretty much count on the following to even apply: Inorganic/Organic Chemistry + labs Physics Calculus Biology/Physiology/Immunology Biochem So in a nutshell, you will have to start over. Contact your nearest College of Pharmacy and they can give you a good idea of what you will need to do to apply. And don't forget that you have to take the PCAT I'm not aware of anyone that still offers a Bachelors, it's all PharmD now. Depending on which school you get into that means either a 3 or 4 year program. One of my buddies in Pharmacy school had bachelor degree in Biology and Pscychology when he got in. His wife filed for divorce in his first week of school, because she thought he was becoming a professional student.........so keep that as a consideration.

Question: I am registered as a pharmacist with the south african pharmacy council , How can I immigrate to south africa. I love south africa as I beleive there no country in the whole earth can compete with the beauty of south africa so please I need to move permanently and work there as a pharmacist ,can you help me finding an a geny or recruitment agency to work with.

Answer: Why or why South Africa - have you not read or heard about the rate of crime. Please think twice. Cost of living is pretty high in SA. Load Shedding at the moment. Running short on electricity. Open the papers and read about murder, hijacks and rapes. Please be careful if you do go over.