Nature of Work: Pharmacists dispense prescription medications to patients and offer expertise in the safe use of prescriptions.
Training, Qualifications and Advancement:Prospective pharmacists are required to have a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, a postgraduate professional degree. All Doctor of Pharmacy programs require applicants to take postsecondary courses such as chemistry, biology, and anatomy. Most programs require at least 2 years of undergraduate study, although some require a bachelor’s degree. Most programs also require applicants to take the Pharmacy College Admissions Test.
Employment: Pharmacists work in pharmacies, including those in grocery and drug stores. They also work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Some pharmacists work for the government and the military. In most settings, they spend much of the workday on their feet.
Job Outlook: Employment of pharmacists is projected to grow 3 percent from 2014 to 2024, slower than the average for all occupations. Several factors are likely to contribute to this increase.
Projections Data:
Earnings: The median annual wage for pharmacists was $121,500 in May 2015. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $86,790, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $154,040.
Related Occupations: Biochemists and Biophysicists,Medical Scientists,Pharmacy Technicians,Physicians and Surgeons,Registered Nurses.