Pharmacists: Job Description
Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.
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What Tasks Do Pharmacists Perform?
Typical responsibilities of pharmacists include:
- Review prescriptions to assure accuracy, to ascertain the needed ingredients, and to evaluate their suitability.
- Assess the identity, strength, or purity of medications.
- Provide information and advice regarding drug interactions, side effects, dosage, and proper medication storage.
- Analyze prescribing trends to monitor patient compliance and to prevent excessive usage or harmful interactions.
- Maintain records, such as pharmacy files, patient profiles, charge system files, inventories, control records for radioactive nuclei, or registries of poisons, narcotics, or controlled drugs.
- Collaborate with other health care professionals to plan, monitor, review, or evaluate the quality or effectiveness of drugs or drug regimens, providing advice on drug applications or characteristics.
- Plan, implement, or maintain procedures for mixing, packaging, or labeling pharmaceuticals, according to policy and legal requirements, to ensure quality, security, and proper disposal.
- Order and purchase pharmaceutical supplies, medical supplies, or drugs, maintaining stock and storing and handling it properly.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective pharmacists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Apothecary
- Clinical Pharmacist
- District Pharmacy Supervisor
- Druggist
- Float Pharmacist
- Hospital Pharmacist
- Industrial Pharmacist
- Informatics Pharmacist
Job Outlook
There are roughly 990,178 pharmacists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +14.2% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Pharmacists Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $93,686 |
| Hourly median | $45.04 |
| 10th percentile | $52,046 |
| 25th percentile | $72,866 |
| 75th percentile | $114,506 |
| 90th percentile | $135,325 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $165,150 |
| Alaska | $163,200 |
| Oregon | $163,120 |
| Washington | $157,020 |
| Minnesota | $154,610 |
| Colorado | $151,680 |
| Hawaii | $150,710 |
| District of Columbia | $141,560 |
| New Hampshire | $141,480 |
| Delaware | $140,470 |
| Wisconsin | $140,410 |
| South Dakota | $140,190 |
| Indiana | $138,690 |
| Nevada | $138,650 |
| Idaho | $138,580 |
| Arizona | $138,080 |
| Missouri | $137,910 |
| New Mexico | $137,600 |
| Wyoming | $137,470 |
| Virginia | $137,470 |
| Montana | $137,230 |
| Maine | $136,970 |
| Texas | $136,950 |
| New York | $136,350 |
| Utah | $136,230 |
| Michigan | $136,070 |
| Massachusetts | $136,030 |
| North Carolina | $136,000 |
| South Carolina | $135,900 |
| Illinois | $135,880 |
| Pennsylvania | $135,830 |
| North Dakota | $135,570 |
| Maryland | $135,550 |
| Florida | $135,460 |
| Connecticut | $135,340 |
| Vermont | $134,780 |
| Ohio | $134,440 |
| Kansas | $134,350 |
| Arkansas | $134,230 |
| Alabama | $133,930 |
| West Virginia | $133,910 |
| Nebraska | $133,340 |
| Iowa | $133,220 |
| Kentucky | $132,750 |
| New Jersey | $132,510 |
| Mississippi | $132,420 |
| Georgia | $132,400 |
| Oklahoma | $132,360 |
| Tennessee | $131,290 |
| Louisiana | $129,650 |
| Virgin Islands | $128,300 |
| Rhode Island | $128,010 |
| Guam | $120,530 |
| Puerto Rico | $107,100 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Pay for pharmacists shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $162,091 | 15.2% | 0.91 |
| Rocky Mountains | $143,432 | 3.6% | 0.90 |
| Plains States | $140,570 | 7.3% | 1.07 |
| Southwest | $136,730 | 10.9% | 0.89 |
| Great Lakes | $136,346 | 14.2% | 1.01 |
| New England | $135,641 | 4.6% | 0.97 |
| Middle Atlantic | $135,493 | 16.5% | 1.10 |
| Southeast | $134,190 | 27.1% | 1.12 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | CA | $203,950 | 160 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $196,250 | 1,950 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $183,510 | 4,230 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $177,530 | 320 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $174,810 | 320 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $173,510 | 2,320 |
| Chico, CA | CA | $171,200 | 160 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | CA | $170,480 | 230 |
Top Industries Employing Pharmacists
The largest employers of pharmacists are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 171,400 | $133,250 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 118,920 | $149,830 |
| Wholesale Trade | 6,780 | $135,550 |
| Finance and Insurance | 6,130 | $134,210 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 5,880 | $138,480 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3,560 | $131,020 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2,380 | $137,610 |
| Educational Services | 1,880 | $142,560 |
Below are examples of industries where pharmacists work:
Tools and Technology
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Medical software: Epic Systems (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for pharmacists reflects the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Physician Assistants (Primary-Short)
- Anesthesiologist Assistants (Supplemental)
- Registered Nurses (Supplemental)
- Acute Care Nurses (Supplemental)
- Clinical Nurse Specialists (Primary-Long)
- Nurse Anesthetists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Practitioners (Primary-Short)
- Anesthesiologists (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Future pharmacists often complete programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
2 programs across 1 majors
References
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-1051.00 (Pharmacists).
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