Occupation information for

Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.

Currently Employed: 274,900

Yearly Projected Openings: 13,960

Typical Hourly Wage: $49.69 - $64.28

Typical Annual Salary: $103,400 - $133,700

• Review prescriptions to assure accuracy, to ascertain the needed ingredients, and to evaluate their suitability.
• Provide information and advice regarding drug interactions, side effects, dosage, and proper medication storage.
• Prepare sterile solutions or infusions for use in surgical procedures, emergency rooms, or patients' homes.
• Assess the identity, strength, or purity of medications.
• Maintain records, such as pharmacy files, patient profiles, charge system files, inventories, control records for radioactive nuclei, or registries of poisons, narcotics, or controlled drugs.
• Compound and dispense medications as prescribed by doctors and dentists, by calculating, weighing, measuring, and mixing ingredients, or oversee these activities.
• Plan, implement, or maintain procedures for mixing, packaging, or labeling pharmaceuticals, according to policy and legal requirements, to ensure quality, security, and proper disposal.
• Work in hospitals or clinics or for Health Management Organizations (HMOs), dispensing prescriptions, serving as a medical team consultant, or specializing in specific drug therapy areas, such as oncology or nuclear pharmacotherapy.
• Teach pharmacy students serving as interns in preparation for their graduation or licensure.
• Advise customers on the selection of medication brands, medical equipment, or healthcare supplies.

• Ampoule filling equipment
• Laminar flow cabinets or stations
• Liquid scintillation counters
• Medical radiological shielding freestanding or portable screens
• Pestle or mortars

• Accounting software
• Analytical or scientific software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Inventory management software
• Label making software