Are you considering going to pharmacy school? Becoming a pharmacist is certainly a rewarding career choice. It provides secure employment in an interesting field. Your background study will prepare you for a variety of work and your extensive knowledge will be valued by your community. In general a pharmacist, once qualified, is able to fill prescriptions and advise patients on medicinal usage. Your knowledge of new medicines must be kept up to date so for this reason all pharmacists are keen readers and fast learners.

Every year, many people choose to enroll in pharmacy school as the pay is very high. In addition, the hours are typically not as long as many other high paying medical professions. Working as a pharmacist has many benefits and is an excellent career for many.

Pharmacist school will teach you all you need to know to get into this exciting profession. You will learn how to:

- Dispense drugs that are prescribed by doctors and specialists

- Stay on top of new drug releases

- Advise doctors on the dosage, selection and interactions of new and existing drugs.

- Provide advice to patients on managing asthma, diabetes, arthritis and other ongoing illnesses

- Provide customer service to the general public in a retail environment

Pharmacists can also train to become managers or store owners. Many pharmacists choose to start their own pharmacy and as such need to have business skills. This can be gained in a joint business and pharmacy degree.

Where can a pharmacist work?

After you have graduated from pharmacist school or university you can work in a variety of locations including:

- Hospitals

- Pharmacy stores

- Pharmaceutical manufacturers and labs

- Health insurance companies

- Government agencies

- Universities and colleges as a teacher or researcher

Your choice of work location will depend on what you prefer to do each day. If you like interacting with the public then a pharmacy store is the ideal option for you, if on the other hand you like a background role then working for a pharmaceutical company in research and development is an ideal position. It is also possible to begin in a store and then transition into research and development or vice versa. Therefore, a career as a pharmacist offers some diversity throughout the years.

Pharmacists generally work for 40 hours per week and earn an average salary of around $100,000 which makes it a very well paid position. Once you complete pharmacist school you are qualified to work in any position that requires a pharmacist but you are most likely to start in dispensing prescriptions in a chemist store environment. Your pay when first starting out will likely be less than the average salary, but you will progress in pay as you gain in experience and promotions.

Pharmacist school will prepare you for the challenges that lie ahead in your pharmacy career. This rewarding career is a fantastic choice if you are interested in medicine and health as well as enjoy the challenges of solving problems and dealing with the general public.