They sell medicines to retail pharmacies and to hospitals, and inform health personnel about new drugs. Some teach in colleges of pharmacy. Others supervise the manufacture of pharmaceuticals in manufacturing settings, or are involved in research and the development of new medicines. Some combine pharmaceutical and legal training in jobs as patent lawyers or consultants on pharmaceutical and drug laws. Pharmacy can be mentally demanding, in part because of the thousands of drugs that are in the medical arsenal, and in part because of the need to keep current on the hundreds of new drugs introduced every year.
Pharmacists spend a lot of time on their feet.
According to a recent survey, Pharmacists average 40 hours a week in their primary work setting. A small percentage of Pharmacists work in a secondary setting where they average 15 hours a week, often as a consultant to a nursing home or other facility. Pharmacies often are open in the evenings and on weekends. Self-employed Pharmacists average about 48 hours per week. The following information is from the California Projections of Employment published by the Labor Market Information Division.