What does a pharmacist actually do? It seems they only supply the drugs...If so, why does it take so long?

Question

I'm confused on the whole line between a pharmacist and a physician. At a pharmacy, are the drugs already on hand? That doesn't seem plausible, considering how many drugs there are. So does a pharmacist actually make the drugs? Whats the acutal process they go through? If the merely put the drugs in the bottle, why do they have to go through so much schooling? I understand how sensitive it is, and how a mistake can be fatal, but just a few more years and you could be a doctor.

Answer 1

Oh goodness.

Pharmacist do A LOT more than put medicine in a bottle. They go to school to learn about each drug, interactions, etc.
First, they have to type the prescription label, make sure there are no drug interactions or allergies, fill (count) the drug and place label on it, double check work for no errors, and dispense medicine. It is VERY important that no mistakes are made... because it could be fatal. Now, multiple this times several hundred customers a day... and that's why you don't get medicine instantly at a pharmacy.

If the drug must be compounded, then yes... the pharmacist has to "make" or mix the drugs. This could take even longer.

There are always other issues that cause delays, such as: insurance claims, doctors/nurses calling in, people on phone/in person with questions, etc.

A pharmacy isn't a fast food chain. Be patient ... their life is in your hands.

Answer 2

It's a completely different field, so the "few more years" thing doesn't really apply. Hospitals, in fact, often employ PharmD's who have doctorates in their own right.
In the past, pharmacists did compound the prescriptions. That's more obvious in UK, where one goes "to the chemist" rather than "to the drug store." Now, they do indeed keep a huge inventory behind the counter. The primary physical labor is grabbing the stock bottle of 100 or 500 pills, counting out the thirty in your prescription, putting them in a bottle and printing a label for it. And you're right. If it were just a matter of safety in grabbing the right bottle and making sure the count's correct, the pharmacy technician could do that a lot more cheaply. But there's the cognitive side, too, and that's under-appreciated. Doctors make mistakes, and patients get prescriptions from multiple doctors, so it's important that the pharmacist know all about the drugs he's dispensing as an added check against system error, and I'm grateful when they call me about an incompatibility when I've prescribed a drug that won't mix with one a patient forgot to tell me they were already taking. (And that's just one example.)

Answer 3

This is what happens when you present a brand new prescription to a pharmacy. The pharmacy tech will enter it into the computer and submit it to insurance. If there is an insurance problem, it will appear here. Sometimes they can be easily fixed and others times not so easily. Once in the computer and accepted by insurance, if applicable, the pharmacist will review and verify the prescription. He/she will check to see if it is a real prescription, and check for drug interactions. Once approved, it will then be filled by a pharm tech. The pharmacist will check to make sure the fill is correct. Then the prescription is ready to be sold.
Most of the drugs are already made.
Doctors make many prescribing errors. You hear about them prescribing a pencillin type antibiotic to someone with a known allergy to it and so on.

Answer 4

The pharmacist has to not only count out the drugs, but they have to know what is in each drug and what they react to. You have no idea how many people come in and ask questions about what they can eat, drink or what will react with their medication. The pharmacist has to know just as much as the doctor does, as far as what to recommend for what problem. And as fas as the drugs go, they are shipped in from warehouses, and if the pharmacy doesn't carry that specific drug, they either use a generic or order it for the customer.

Answer 5

I'm a pharmacist and in my pharmacy, I do not count drugs or even fill prescriptions. I solve problems and check. I check dosages and keep physicians on their toes (ie appropriate weight for antibiotics etc..). I check for interactions as well as counsel patients. Moreover, the reason why it takes so long is to deal with insurance companies who can't seem to set up patients properly. Also, understanding the drugs help pharmacist consciensiously make decisive decisions in order for the best course of treatments and allows greater interaction between physicians and their patients. Lastly, doctors write like crap, therefore we always have to call the doctor to ask wtf they are talking about. Hope that helps.

Answer 6

pharmacist have a lot responsibility more than physician.they take clinical chemistry as a course.every drugs are made from different chemical and they have to know each one of them .

Answer 7

hiya, relies upon on in case you have a funds or not. i'm getting married in 4 weeks and we in basic terms have been given engaged 6 months in the past. I had no funds and function paid as i pass. you could shop costs down with the aid of concerning pals and family individuals, your massive value would be the reception and the gown. It does not would desire to be nonetheless! think of approximately doing it contained in the summertime, so which you would be able to have a extensive BBQ rather of a sit down down dinner. meaning you will desire to purchase all your guy or woman food and nominate or ask somebody to cook it for the special day. you could desire to combine the BBQ qith a stunning outdoors romantic placing for the marriage, As I stay in England we've suitable historic outdoors places, i'm uncertain what you have localy? hire white chairs and purchase some much less costly yet amazing textile for the aisle and cover with petals. counting on what number travelers you could desire to, for sure the fewer human beings to feed, the cheapert the day. fairly think of with regard to the focused visitor record, don,t invite human beings on account which you think of you will desire to, If somebody had not rapidly contrinuted to my existence or replaced into an intensive buddy contained in the final 5 years or my family individuals, then they don't seem to be invited! it is your day. purchase favours and decs from ebay, they plenty greater least costly. are additionally you area of a church?? in that case there'll be a lot of persons with skills that would fairly choose for to assist out, inclusive of a flosrist, somebody to make the cake etc... Or as you reside contained in the US, you have a television show stated as "for greater suitable or worst" observe! they use 5,000 money and supply you a marriage in each week, they use pals and family individuals to assist ha ha. x

Answer 8

all the drugs are on hand. The reason they go to school for so long is that they have to know how each drug interacts with each other drug.