Pharmacist

A pharmacist is a medical professional with responsibility for dispensing and compounding pharmaceuticals. Their duties include filling prescriptions, reviewing a patient's medications for medicine interaction, informing patients on the proper use of their medication and the possible side effects. They also recommend the use of non-prescription medications and which should be avoided because of a patient's medical conditions.
From a legal standpoint, pharmacists are required to keep records of the dispensing of controlled pharmaceuticals like narcotics.
Like medicine, pharmacists are required to hold a bachelor's degree (usually in science) before entering into a Doctor of Pharmacy program. Their education overlaps that of a physician in the fields of nephrology, hepatology, cardiology, and oncology. 
Hospital Pharmacy is a specialty of pharmacy and deals with the likely duties of a pharmacist working in a hospital rather than in a retail setting. For example, a Hospital Pharmacist would be regularly handling drugs that a retail pharmacist would rarely dispense, and Hospital Pharmacists generally dole out single doses of medication rather than a bottle of pills.
Category:Medical Specialties