Essay About Health Professionals And Appropriate Use

A Career
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A Look At A Career In Community Pharmacy
“Pharmacists are the principal resource to patients and other
health professionals in assuring appropriate use of, and optimal
therapeutic outcomes from medications” (Shall I Study Pharmacy 1).
Pharmacists are health care professionals responsible for the dispensation
of prescription and non-prescription medications. Many pharmacists are
consultants to the general public along with physicians and other health
care providers. One of the earliest known pharmacists in the United States
was Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Pharmacy education
began in the United States at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, founded
in 1821 and is still operating today (Cosgrove 71). A pharmacist must
complete much training, be licensed, and take an oath before he/she can
become a pharmacist. The commitment of a pharmacist, as stated in the
professional commitment statement is a life long responsibility to the
people of the community in which that person works:
The principal goal of pharmaceutical care is to achieve
positive outcomes from the use of medication which improves
patients quality of life. These outcomes include: cure
of a disease, elimination or reduction of the symptoms
of a disease, arresting or slowing of a disease process,
preventing of disease, diagnosis of disease, or desired
alterations in physiological processes, all with minimum
risks to the patient (Shall I Study Pharmacy 1).
The pharmacist must perform numerous tasks sometimes under unfavorable
conditions, and must acquire many skills through much training.
As I look to choose a direction for my life, I know I want to
attend college. I am interested in a career where I can directly help
people. I am also interested in the medical professions but do not wish to
become a doctor. I feel that the career I choose should be something I
greatly enjoy doing as I will probably do this for the rest of my life. I
am a very dedicated, hard-worker with excellent social skills and a
continuous desire to attain knowledge about various subjects. A pharmacist
must be dependable, conscientious, scrupulous in their handling of the
drugs, sympathetic to their customers, and above all ethical (Hayes 656).
A pharmacist must have exceptional math skills and scientific knowledge.
They must also be realistic, wanting to see immediate results of their
work; curious and motivated, working hard to find concrete solutions
independently; sociable, working directly with the customers to answer
their questions and concerns; artistic and sensitive, showing sympathy and
compassion toward each customer; and most importantly conventional, working
with details, while submitting and keeping neat, organized forms and charts
(McKenzie 12).
As a pharmacist, one must have many skills to successfully complete
a days work. A pharmacist must be good with people and is expected to
advise not only customers but physicians on the selection, dosage,
interactions, and side effects of the medication they may prescribe. To do
this each pharmacist must have a great deal of knowledge and understanding
of the use, composition, and effect of the drugs they will be dispensing
(“Pharmacists” 168). A pharmacists job is now made easier by computer
programs that help to alert them of interactions and side effects of the
drugs they dispense. To successfully use this, though, a pharmacist must
also have good computer skills. Pharmacists must be especially meticulous
in their dispensation of medication. They must carefully read and decipher
the prescriptions and counsel the patient as to the correct dosage and use
of the medication. They also must be able to answer any question that a
patient may have about either prescription or non-prescription medications
(Cosgrove 72). Besides dispensing medication and informing patients about
the drugs, pharmacists are expected to do a lot more. They must have
accurate records of customers; complete and submit insurance forms,
inventory tracking reports, and financial records; and monitor the pharmacy
stock. A pharmacist must also review all the new medical literature he/she
receives and occasionally retrieve it himself/herself so that he/she can
keep updated on any changes that he/she may have to inform patients about
(Hayes 654-655). Pharmacists receive over two billion requests a year for
on the spot information, making