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Functions of pharmacists
In current medical era, much progress has been made in developing powerful and specific drugs that require a responsible and knowledgeable attitude from the pharmacists. It is important because they can utilize their scientific knowledge in use of modern medicines and can provide proper guidelines to the public regarding usage of medicine and the risks associated to it. Pharmacists take professional degree from the university and then they get employed in the retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, as consultants and also when they further specialize as a clinical pharmacist. They can also participate in healthcare promotion training sessions. Their main aim is to provide appropriate drugs and drug therapy both through practice and training sessions. (Santschi, p.1441-1445)
Retail pharmacist
Retail pharmacists are readily available to public. Medicines are supplied by retail pharmacists according to prescriptions provided. The retail pharmacist not only provide the legal drugs based on prescription but their profession and the activities they can perform legally covers counseling the patients when they come to purchase the medicine as to how the medicine should be used and other drug related information. They can also counsel patients, general public, health care professionals and also participate in health promotion sessions. (Attaran, p.3) They maintain strong links with the health care professionals in the primary sector. These days wide range of similar medications are used including biological products and radio-pharmaceuticals. Special medical devices are also available in markets that require significant knowledge, description of user manuals and risks associated with it. This requires a comprehensive understanding and knowledgeable individual who is well-qualified to present this information to the customer. (Gauld, p.1)
Clinical pharmacist
Pharmacists that practice clinical pharmacy tend to take care of patients in every health care situation but the main movement began of clinical pharmacy within the clinics and hospitals where the clinical pharmacists worked in partnership with healthcare professions and physicians to improve the care, quality and timely availability of pharmaceutical products. Clinical pharmacists are now considered an imperative part of inter regulatory concerns of patient care. When the drug product selection takes place, the clinical pharmacists are often on round to finalizing the products. ((Santschi, p.1446)
Hospital pharmacist
Hospital pharmacies are significantly different from retail pharmacies. Hospital pharmacists are experienced and highly knowledgeable as compared to other retail pharmacist and tend to demonstrate more complex clinical medication management process and system whereas the retail pharmacist has multifaceted business regulations and customer relation issues. Hospital pharmacists deal in complicated medications with a lot of precise suggestions on how these medications should be taken, how the treatment can be effective, how the medications should be taken safely and the compliance issues of patients. In this way, the hospital pharmacist gains more training and knowledge when they leave pharmacy school. They have to daily deal with such complex issues that they enhance their skills through practicing pharmacy residency and then more specializations in specific fields. These pharmacists then become clinical pharmacists. (WHO Technical Report, p.51)
Consultant Pharmacist
Consultant pharmacists focus more on cognitive services of medications than the provision of products themselves. These pharmacists mostly work in nursing homes but now the trend has changed and the consultant pharmacist practice in institutions and non-institution settings. Initially, consultant pharmacists were private owners of their business but now they work for much different pharmacy management companies. Some retail pharmacists utilize the skills and abilities of consultant pharmacists. ((Santschi, p.1447)
Work Cited
Attaran A, Walker RB. "Shoppers Drug Mart or Poachers Drug Mart?" CMAJ 2008; 178(3) doi:10.1503/cmaj.07173
Gauld, Natalie "Sun, surf, snow and pharmacy- pharmacy practice in New Zealand". (December 2010). PJ online, p.1
Santschi, V; Chiolero, A; Burnand, B; Colosimo, AL; Paradis, G "Impact of pharmacist care in the management of cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.". (Sep 12, 2011), Archives of Internal Medicine 171 (16): 1441–47
WHO Technical Report Series, No. 717, 1985 (Health manpower requirements for the achievement of health for all by the year 2000 through primary health care: Report of a WHO Expert Committee), p. 51
