This post presents in-depth information on the retail pharmacist job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that typically perform.
It also presents the major requirements to fulfill to be hired for the retail pharmacist role in most companies.
What Does a Retail Pharmacist Do?
The retail pharmacist job description involves providing customer service and ensuring that the correct medication is dispensed to patients.
They make sure customers’ prescriptions and/or over-the-counter medications are safe and timely filled, and that patients receive adequate treatment of a health condition within established safety guidelines.
A retail pharmacist may be responsible for dispensing controlled substances, such as morphine to the appropriate patient or refilling any controlled substance prescription, to ensure adherence to the appropriate dosage regimen for a specific patient.
Maintenance of equipment, pharmacy records, and pharmacy facility in sanitary condition, good repair, and pest control are also a part of their duties.
The retail pharmacist job description also involves making sure that company policies and regulations are followed, and management of pharmacy staff members.
They are responsible for preparing reports to be sent to physicians, insurance companies, and other third parties, such as the patient’s employer and a public health agency.
They also suggest new methods of keeping and organizing pharmacy records to help with other duties.
It is the retail pharmacist’s duty to manage their pharmacy website to help patients and their families, and also to handle medical coding and billing responsibilities.
They are also responsible for maintaining inventory levels of medication by ordering medication from the wholesalers or distributors to ensure an adequate store supply of prescription medications and over-the-counter products for sale to customers.
More on Retail Pharmacist Job Description
They are also responsible for meeting predicted customer demand for medications at a future time based on information from previous sales numbers, analysis of trends, and current economic conditions in the geographic area served by the pharmacy location.
The retail pharmacist may also be responsible for managing pharmacy staffing to ensure that the proper amount of pharmacists are on hand in order to keep the pharmacy running at optimal efficiency, and that adequate allocation of time is made between each pharmacist.
They may also be responsible for maintaining records regarding pharmacy expenses, including maintenance and repair costs, wages, benefits and taxes; and determining unit prices for those medications or over-the-counter products that are not part of a controlled substance disposal program, but are still dispensed on an outpatient basis; budgeting/pricing system may be used to accomplish this function as well
Retail Pharmacist Job Description Sample/Example/Template
The retail pharmacist job description involves the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:
- Dispensing medications to patients
- Managing workers in the pharmacy
- Managing inventory and records for the pharmacy
- Maintaining sanitation and safety standards for the pharmacy
- Communicating effectively with doctors, nurses, technicians, and patients about medication issues
- Performing various checks on medications and equipment in the pharmacy
- Making sure that all prescriptions and over-the-counter medications are properly accounted for
- Filling out patient records for insurance purposes
- Reporting to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals about medication issues
- Maintaining patient records
- Meeting with patients to check their medication needs and treating their conditions appropriately
- Ordering medications and supplies from the drug manufacturer
- Completing periodic drug checks for inventory requirements for the pharmacy storeroom, based on orders drawn by pharmacists
- Keeping a record of purchases and inventories in order to stay within budget limits or any other guidelines.
Retail Pharmacist Job Description for Resume
If you are making a new resume or CV as someone who has worked in the role of a retail pharmacist before or are presently working in that position, you can effectively create the Professional Experience part of the resume by applying the above retail pharmacist job description.
You can use the duties and responsibilities contained in the sample job description above in making the resume’s Professional Experience, to show that you have been successful performing the retail pharmacist job.
Writing your Professional Experience this way can boost your resume’s effectiveness in getting you called up for an interview, especially if the new job that you are applying for requires someone with some work experience as a retail pharmacist.
Retail Pharmacist Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success
If you are seeking to work as a retail pharmacist and be successful in your career, here are some requirements employers may want you to meet to be hired:
- Graduate from high school or have completed equivalent education
- Three years of experience working in a retail pharmacy, or may be considered based on relevant work experience provided that the work has been performed within the last five years
- Being a Certified by American Society of Health-System Pharmacist
- Ability to read, comprehend, and write, and communicate in English
- Familiarity with pharmacy asepsis, practice, and procedures
- Must be able to demonstrate usage of computers in the performance of job duties
- Must pass the PTCB certification exam
- Possess current certification by PTCB
- Must be able to operate a calculator, computer terminal and other equipment used in the pharmacy
- Ability to lift/carry, say 50 pounds without difficulty
- Must be able to work and be effective in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to work extra hours after closing time when necessary
- Masters of Science in Pharmacy preferred.
Retail Pharmacist Salary
Retail pharmacists are paid the most in the retail industry.
The average annual salary for retail pharmacists is $$127,421 per year: Oregon, $159,527; California, $158,965; Washington, $145,577; Alaska, $143,835; and Pennsylvania, $143,828.
A hired retail pharmacist is 42 years old on average.
White (64.9%) is the most common ethnicity among retail pharmacists, followed by Asian (20.1%), Black or African American (7.7%), and Hispanic or Latino (4.7%).
In New York, NY, retail pharmacists are in high demand.
Santa Rosa, CA, has the highest yearly average earnings in the US at $167,035.
From studies, women will earn 98% of what males would earn in 2021.
Conclusion
A retail pharmacist will be responsible for many things in their job, and there are many responsibilities and skills that must be mastered in order to keep your job.
If one is unhappy with their job as a retail pharmacist, then they will not be able to perform well, which can cause problems within the company they work for.
This article is helpful to individuals interested in the retail pharmacist career, to learn all they need to know about the duties and responsibilities of the role.
It is also useful to recruiters/employers in writing a detailed job description for the retail pharmacist’s position.