What do Pharmacists do?
Pharmacists are most commonly found in the community, where they dispense prescribed medication to patients and provide patients with up-to-date and relevant health information. Pharmacists are also usually the first port-of-call for general health and medication-related queries.
Pharmacists are also found in a clinical setting, where they work to optimise a patient's medication regime and provide pharmacological expertise to fellow health professionals.
Pharmacy career outlook at a glance
Median age is: 34 years old
Employment level trends & growth - over five years
Source: https://docs.employment.gov.au/documents/australian-jobs-occupation-matrix
Where do pharmacists work?
Pharmacists work in hospitals and community pharmacies. They may also work in pharmaceutical companies or in an industrial setting.
What are some specialisations?
Pharmacists with advanced accreditation conduct Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) services such as HMRs and RMMRs. This is operated in conjunction with a patient’s general practitioner and aims to improve the patient’s knowledge understanding of their medication to increase adherence and health outcomes.
Pharmacists with further education may also specialise within the hospital or industrial setting, for example on an oncology or maternity ward.
What education do you need?
A four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is required to become a pharmacist. Graduates are then required to complete a one-year intern training program. This program consists of at least 1,824 hours of supervised practice and interns must pass a written and oral exam before successful registration to the Pharmacy Board of Australia.
How much do pharmacists earn?
According to Seek, the most common salary in Australia for a pharmacist us $80k.
Sources
Australian Bureau of Statistics
*Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO) 2nd Edition, ABS Catalogue No. 1220.0, p131.
**Australian Jobs Matrix, 2018 Australian Government Job Outlook
Payscale
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