UK Pharmacist job description and qualifications.
Of course, UK pharmacists pay a pittance for their education compared to the US.
Retail pharmacist job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses
Employment as a retail pharmacist involves:
dispensing prescription medicines to the public;
ensuring that different treatments are compatible;
checking dosage and ensuring that medicines are correctly and safely supplied and labelled (pharmacists are legally responsible for any dispensing errors);
supervising the preparation of any medicines (not all are supplied ready made-up by the manufacturer);
keeping a register of controlled drugs for legal and stock control purposes;
liaising with doctors about prescriptions;
selling over-the-counter medicines;
counselling and advising the public on the treatment of minor ailments;
advising patients of any adverse side-effects of medicines or potential interactions with other medicines/treatments;
preparing dosette and cassette boxes, usually for the elderly but also for those with memory/learning difficulties, where tablets are placed in compartments for specified days of the week;
undertaking Medicine Use Reviews (MUR), an advanced service to help patients understand how their medicines work and why they have to take them;
providing a prescription intervention service;
managing a needle and syringe exchange;
measuring and fitting compression hosiery;
monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol levels;
offering a diabetes screening service;
arranging the delivery of prescription medicines to patients;
managing, supervising and training pharmacy support staff;
budgeting and financial management;
keeping up to date with current pharmacy practice, new drugs and their uses.
Some evening and weekend work may be required. Salaries and prospects for promotion are excellent, with chains offering the best opportunities and the highest incomes, although job relocation is often necessary.
Qualifications and training required
To qualify you'll need to complete a four-year pharmacy degree and an examined pre-registration year of supervised vocational experience and then become a registered member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.
Many pharmacists also take further training at postgraduate level once qualified. Relevant experience gained in any retail area involving contact with customers or the general public can be beneficial.
Of course, a degree in the UK costs a pittance compared to the US.
Generally, salaries in the UK are between 1/2 and 2/3 of those in the US.