Pharmacist (Apotheker)
Information on this skill...
A pharmacist is a healthcare professional in the field of medicines. Another name for pharmacist is sometimes also pharmaceutical. The title pharmacist is a protected title in the Netherlands, which may not be used just like that. A pharmacist must be registered with the BIG register in order to be allowed to use the title of pharmacist. As a pharmacist, various specializations are possible, such as industrial pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, hospital pharmacist and pharmacist toxicologist. These specializations can be obtained by following additional courses after the pharmacy course and, depending on the specialization, take one to five years. In earlier days, a pharmacist was more than a drug specialist and was also a grocer. A grocer also sold sugar and herbal wines, among other things. Nowadays, a pharmacist is no longer a grocer and only specializes in medicines. The profession of pharmacist is a profession in which you have great responsibilities, because providing people with the right information and medication is important. A pharmacist is therefore a specialist in medicines, who is also responsible for other activities, such as promoting the correct use of medicines, developing medicines and conducting research into the effect of medicines. Because a pharmacist can work within different types of pharmacies, the substantive activities can differ per pharmacy. Most pharmacists work within public pharmacies. Pharmacists are primarily responsible for providing primary health care to people, by providing the right medications. Think of checking whether medicines are suitable for people and giving information to people. Guiding people who use medication is also part of the pharmacist's responsibilities.
A pharmacist is therefore specialized in medicines and can be regarded as a pharmacologist. As a pharmacist, you regularly consult with general practitioners, doctors and clients regarding the prescribed medications. Checking prescriptions and informing clients about the medications is one of the pharmacist's most important tasks. In addition, as a pharmacist you have to deal with healthcare providers and, for example, health insurers. Most pharmacists employ one or more pharmacy assistants. As a pharmacist, you must be able to independently prepare medicines according to strict protocols. It is not the case that pharmacists only provide ready-made medicines. A pharmacist also has a lot to do with customization. Depending on the client, a pharmacist can therefore also prepare medicines independently. This mainly concerns medicines that are not available, medicines that do not meet the correct strength, or medicines that are not supplied with the right substances.
WHAT DOES A PHARMACIST DO
In the first place, a pharmacist is responsible for providing the right medicines to clients. In addition, a pharmacist can be regarded as a manager, because most pharmacists have several staff members. Other important activities of a pharmacist are keeping patient records, managing the stock, doing research, distributing medicines and compiling medicines. Most pharmacists who work within a public pharmacy can also be regarded as managers, who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the pharmacy. A pharmacist is mainly dependent on the pharmaceutical industry that develops and makes the medicines for the medicines. The pharmaceutical industry and pharmacists are of course closely linked. The profession of pharmacist goes beyond just leaving medications. Consider, for example, scientific research to be able to develop new medicines. New medicines are of course important.
THE TASKS OF A PHARMACIST ARE:
- Managing and supervising other employees
- Preparing medicines
- Keeping records of staff, medicines and clients
- Checking and reviewing written prescriptions
- Supplying medicines to clients
- Properly storing and managing medications
- Monitoring legal requirements
- Conducting consultations with healthcare providers, doctors and health insurers
WHAT DOES A PHARMACIST DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A PHARMACIST
Anyone who aspires to a career as a pharmacist will have to follow the university study pharmacy. The total study pharmacy will take at least six years. The first three years is the Bachelor's programme and the last three years are the Master's programme. After completing the pharmacy studies, various specializations are still possible that, depending on the chosen specialization, will take another one to five years. During the study pharmacy, attention is paid to biology, chemistry and biochemistry. The study pharmacy can be called a heavy study that will certainly not be suitable for everyone. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur. For more information, see also the professional and trade association for pharmacists.
COMPANIES WHERE A PHARMACIST CAN BE EMPLOYED
A pharmacist works in a pharmacy as an entrepreneur or is the pharmacy manager of the pharmacy. In addition, a pharmacist may work in a hospital pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry or university, or conduct scientific research. As a pharmacist, you can work in several places depending on your specializations. Most pharmacists work within public pharmacies. The pharmaceutical industry can include cosmetics industry food industry and companies that develop medical devices. Most pharmacists work within a public pharmacy. A public pharmacy refers to pharmacies that can be found throughout the country. The profession of pharmacist also occurs as an independent pharmacist.
PHARMACIST COMPETENCES
The competencies as a pharmacist can differ per specialization, but in general we can say that a pharmacist must have broad knowledge and skills within his field. In addition, it is important that the pharmacist carries out his work in an ethically responsible manner, in which patient care is central. Being eager to learn and continuing to learn is also an important competence as a pharmacist. Good communication skills are essential as a pharmacist, because within this field everything revolves around communication with regard to clients, caregivers, health insurers and employees of the pharmacist. Generally important words are laws and regulations, investigations, duty of care, planning, cooperation, consultation, professional, checking, vigilance, integrity, monitoring and pharmaceutical action.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A PHARMACIST
The labour market perspective as a pharmacist is very good. The study pharmacy is a heavy study, which makes the employment opportunities good. In addition, a pharmacist can further specialize after studying pharmacy, so that there are sufficient career opportunities. Starting your own pharmacy is a dream for many pharmacists, but this is not easy due to strict regulations and the financial picture.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND SALARY PHARMACIST
As a pharmacist, you can fall under different types of collective agreements depending on your employer and your own specialization. For more information, see the guidelines of the KNMP. An employed pharmacist will usually earn a salary between 3500 and 6500 euros gross per month, depending on age, education and specializations. A higher salary as a pharmacist is certainly conceivable if the pharmacist has a lot of experience and, for example, works in a hospital pharmacy. What exactly an independent pharmacist earns is not easy to indicate, because this depends entirely on the number of pharmacies, the number of clients and the turnover minus the costs.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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