Pros And Cons Of Retail Pharmacist

IPPE Introductory Assignment

Please provide the following information for each of the following pharmacy settings:
A. Explain the role of the pharmacist
B. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each setting
C. Do you see yourself working in that setting? Explain.

1. Retail/Independent Ownership
A. A retail or independent pharmacist typically provides a person with general healthcare advice and has the authority to supply a prescription or a non-prescription medication to the public. A retail pharmacist generally works in a retail setting rather than in a clinical or hospital setting.
B. Advantages:
 As a retail pharmacist you will earn a great salary
 As a retail pharmacist you will work in a safe environment
Disadvantages:
 As

 It requires a lot of repetitive work
C. I can see myself working in this setting. My mentor Michael E. Spiller, who graduated from the FAMU COPPS in 1981 is a retail pharmacist. He has made a great life for himself and is happily retired but I see myself being more diverse and going beyond retail.
2. Hospital – in-patient pharmacy
A. As a hospital pharmacist you are expected to be an expert in the field of medicines, how they are used and their various effects on the human body. As hospital pharmacist you will be responsible for dispensing prescriptions, purchasing medications and quality testing of medicines. Hospital pharmacists may also manufacture medicines, as in some extreme cases a medicine will need to be tailor made for an individual patient.
B. Advantages:
 Clinical aspects


Pharmacy informatics is a specialty area of practice. A pharmacist in this area of specialty will use resources to improve the quality of pharmacy information technology and medication-management systems such as PubMed. As a pharmacy informaticist the focus will be primarily placed on the application of technology for pharmacists in supporting, streamlining, improving workflow and increasing patient safety. This will be achieved with good practices and reliable systems.
B. Advantages:
 Accountability
 Amount of traffic for information untimely goes through you
Disadvantages:
 Amount of responsibility
 Amount of information
C. I cannot see myself doing this at all. It does not interest me at all. I do not like databases or large sources of information. Being in charge of or being on a team whose job it is to manage large amounts of information is not appealing to me at all.
6. Consultant
A. This is a pharmacist who is compensated to provide expert advice on the use of medications by individuals, within institutions where the medications may be used, or on the distribution of pharmacy services to institutions.
B. Advantages:
 Ability to enhance the quality of care for all older persons
 The knowledge of proper use of medication and promotion of healthy aging.