Retail Pharmacist

Retail pharmacists dispense medications at drug stores or grocery stores. In retail settings, the pharmacist compounds drugs, orders supplies when necessary, may advise physicians on drug interactions, and dispenses medications to people with prescriptions. Retail Pharmacists are also commonly known as Community Pharmacists and have a wide range of responsibilities.

These include

• processing prescriptions,

• maintenance of patient medication records,

• health promotion,

• patient medication,

• counselling,

• primary health care,

• specialized patient medication administration systems services to patients with particular needs,

• domiciliary care,

• nursing home and private hospital services,

• therapeutic device supply and fitting,

• providing expert advice to medical practitioners and other health professionals.

A pharmacist cannot give medications to those without prescriptions unless the medications are legally sold over the counter. They are further responsible for making patients understand how to properly use prescription drugs. Many pharmacists maintain records on patients, when patients use the same pharmacy for all their prescriptions, to be certain that no medications the patient currently takes conflicts with newly prescribed drugs.

Duties of a Retail Pharmacist:

1. Prepares or supervises the preparation of liquid medicines, ointments, powders, tablets and other medications.

2. Checks prescriptions for correct dosage and for drug interactions and incompatibilities.

3. Compounds prescribed medicines, and packages and labels them.

4. Stores and preserves vaccines, serums and other drugs subject to deterioration.

5. Contact physicians and benefit providers as necessary to process a prescription.

6. Verify all patient information before filling a prescription.

7. Sells non-prescription drugs, sick-room supplies, toiletries, cosmetics and related commercial products.

8. Provides advice and information on the use and effects of medications.

9. Records prescriptions dispensed, and the issue of poisons, narcotics and other restricted drugs. Its commonly seen that retail pharmacy is a flourishing career for many for those who have completed their B. Pharma degree and has proper license requirements.

Retail pharmacists administer medications at drug stores or grocery stores. When we look at our villages and even metro cities, many of them are using their degrees to procure licence and then sublet their pharmacy store to others to run. They do not follow any norms, become so called doctors, prescribe medicines; push medicines which they feel will fetch them better margins, or have come under schemes from the pharma companies. They are so called marketers for the pharma companies. They do not care about the prescriptions.
by
Akshaya Srikanth,
Pharm.D*