There average wage is above 90K, how hard is it to fill a bottle with pills. It is not like the old days where they are crushing different compounds together to make medicine. I know it is important not to mix up pills and know side effects but isn't the latter the doctor's responsibility. Also, you used to be able to have a Bachelors in Pharmacy now it takes a Doctorate, it this just so there will be a shortage and raise salaries? I think Medco, which was part of Merck-Medco had an almost fully automated prescription dispenser with less errors than human pharmacists.
2007-09-24 09:53:24 · 5 answers · asked by stephen t 5 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment ➔ Health Care
Ha! Good question.
There is automatic dispensers. And honestly there is a ton of software out there that checks for script effects. There is proprietary software made specifically for scripting such as The Compounder.
I am amazed at how much they make also. One time I think it was Wal Mart was offering a 1 million dollar salary for 10 year commitment or 100K per year for 10 years and at the time it was unheard of as of today guys I know go to Rite Aid or the such and will step into a job making 90K/year with 20K sign on bonus.
I will admit though that my pharm friends are very intelligent and very hard workers no doubt about it. But I've also found it odd as to how much they get paid. Some of my friends are compounders too! That part of pharmacy is pretty interesting.
2007-09-24 10:05:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Those dispensing machines just put the pills in the bottle. They are not a threat to pharmacists, but they are a threat to technicians. The role of pharmacist can evolve, but not the technician's role, as much. In the next few years, expect a change in the way prescriptions are processed and charged. With pharmacists being given dependent prescriptive authority in many states, and the FDA wanting to create a new pharmacist only class of drugs, change is in the air.
Doctors are notoriously ignorant about medictions. After leaving school, they get most of their information about new medications from drug reps. Most prescription errors occur with the doctors or nurses writing the prescriptions, and not with the pharmacist.
More pharmacists are graduating now then back in the day with the bachelors degree. The extra year comes on the prepharm side, not the pharmacy side.
2007-09-24 11:45:25 · answer #2 · answered by Lea 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, to be honest, I'd rather my pharmacist know exactly what's in the prescription medication and the side effects just in case the doctor hasn't read up on it.
When does a doctor REALLY have time to know about every single medication out there? Doctors have full schedules interpreting everything from a runny nose to more serious diseases and tracking their root causes. Prescribing medication isn't an exact science - thus, the reason there are so many different pain medications that work differently on different people.
Besides, my doctor only looks at my most recent prescriptions and makes judgment calls based on that.
My pharmacist, on the other hand, has my entire prescription history at their fingertips and can call my doctor to remind them that I took xx medication 3 months ago and it might react to the meds I'm taking today since it takes some meds longer to get out of my system.
Personally, I love the idea of having an extra set of eyes watching out over my intake of prescription medication. I don't trust a machine to do that for me.
2007-09-24 10:40:57 · answer #3 · answered by avonfromstubby 4 · 7⤊ 0⤋
You damn idiot! Would you want a machine giving you pills... If there wasnt a pharmacist how the hell will the doctor know what to subscribe you Pharmacist dont only fill bottles they also do Chemistry to se what reacts to one another. If they werent there who would know what effects what if one pill affects the other you could cause major malfunction to the body. Youre just pist off cuz you want to be a pharmacist and not have to get a doctorate for it. Besides, pharmacist learn as much stuff as doctors do they need to know how the human body functions as well as every pill you can think of.
2007-09-24 10:05:02 · answer #4 · answered by Mari 5 · 3⤊ 6⤋
It is included in their job. You know-- benefits. So it all just depends on what insurance their employer tells them to use and all that jazz.
2016-04-05 23:24:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋