What Is a Licensed Pharmacist and How to Become One
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What Does a Licensed Pharmacist Do?
As a licensed pharmacist, your job is to run a pharmacy and dispense pharmaceutical drugs as requested by a doctor. While fulfilling your responsibilities and duties, you explain the drug’s use to patients and follow up to check for side effects or other problems. Licensed pharmacists often oversee other pharmacy staff and either supervise or perform many tasks within the pharmacy. Some details of this job depend on your employer. Neighborhood pharmacies usually focus on common medicines, but some licensed pharmacists work with experimental drugs or research programs and collaborate closely with doctors to monitor the health of each patient.
How to Become a Licensed Pharmacist
To pursue a career as a licensed pharmacist, you must have several qualifications. You need a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy science. You must complete a doctor of pharmacy program (PharmD), and pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX) and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE). As a licensed pharmacist, you distribute prescription drugs to patients and advise them on proper dosage, possible side effects, and health outcomes. Your other job duties include supervising pharmacy techs, providing customer service to patients, and managing drug inventory. You need strong organizational skills to succeed as a licensed pharmacist.
