Closely involved in the selection of pharmaceutical products, they assess therapeutic plans and counsel patients on appropriate uses of medication. With more than fifty career opportunities, Pharm. D. graduates can specialize in nutritional support, psychiatry, cardiology, pediatrics, geriatrics, pharmacokinetics, and ambulatory care, just to name a few. They may also complete general or specialty residencies in clinical pharmacy, or may pursue post-doctoral study and graduate work. This practice setting includes a range of options from independent ownership of a pharmacy to employment in, or management of, local and national chains.
Community pharmacists receive an estimated two billion inquiries a year from patients.
They provide health information and advice to patients and the community, dispense medications and associated services and, through computerized records, maintain and monitor patient profiles in order to provide efficient and appropriate therapeutic counseling. They have access to patients' complete medical records, including laboratory tests and diagnostic information, and they play an important role in nutritional support, IV therapy, pain management, and home care. Their quality assurance mission includes drug utilization reviews, sterility testing of IV admixtures, and overseeing medication-error reports. Each year an increasing number of Americans receive health benefits through managed care systems which coordinate medical services to contain costs. Managed care pharmacists establish guidelines, develop protocols, and conduct drug utilization reviews while serving on interdisciplinary teams responsible for disease management programs.