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Pharmacist Facts & Worksheets

Pharmacists are licensed professionals who help us get the correct prescription given by the doctors

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When people are sick, they go to a pharmacy to buy the medicines prescribed to them. Most of us know pharmacists as licensed professionals who help us get the correct prescription given by the doctors. Find out more about pharmacists as you go through this lesson.

See the fact file below for more information on Pharmacist or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Pharmacist worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Background

  • Pharmacy is the practice or profession concerned with dispensing prescriptions, preparing, preserving, combining, and distributing medical drugs. 
  • It is also a term used to refer to a place where medicines are stored, dispensed, and sold.
  • Healthcare professionals in this field are called pharmacists.
  • Pharmacists usually work in pharmacies, hospitals, medical clinics, universities, and government institutions. 
  • During ancient times, plants and other natural substances were taken as medicines. 
  • It was believed that the art of pharmacy began when a person extracted liquid from a succulent leaf and applied it to a wound. 
  • Pharmacies and drugstores have been around for a long time. 
  • The oldest prescriptions in the world were recorded on tablets.
  • The Mesopotamians used clay tablets to record the very first pharmaceutical texts.
  • The Ebers Papyrus (1550 BC) and Edwin Smith Papyrus (16th century BC), which contain the Ancient Egyptian pharmacological knowledge were written in different papyri.
  • Baghdad was known to have some of the earliest established drugstores dating back to the 8th century.
  • In Ancient Greece, there was a distinction between a herbalist and a physician.
  • Herbalists provided physicians with the materials they needed to make medicines.
  • In China, the Shennong Ben Cao Jing was the first Chinese manual on materia medica compiled during the Han Dynasty for the mythological Chinese ruler, Shennong.
  • In India, the compilation of Indian traditional medicine, which was attributed to Sushruta, can be traced back to the third or fourth century AD.
  • The first hospital pharmacy opened in America around 1752 in The Pennsylvania Hospital.
  • In 1821, America’s first school of pharmacy, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, was built.
  • Over time, several medical advancements were developed. 
  • Medicinal plants are still used today.
  • The research and development of medicines are ongoing to promote quality healthcare for people.

Types of Pharmacist

  • The pharmacy profession is not limited to selling, distributing, and dispensing medicines. 
  • Over and above this, there are still several opportunities for a pharmacist. 

COMMUNITY PHARMACIST

  • This is the most common role of a pharmacist. 
  • Community pharmacists or retail pharmacists serve in a stand-alone pharmacy store. 
  • They provide over-the-counter drugs and attend to prescriptions given by doctors.

AMBULATORY CARE PHARMACIST

  • Ambulatory care pharmacists expand their services outside the hospital.
  • They can work in outpatient centers,  ambulatory surgical centers, dialysis centers, and physician’s offices.

HOSPITAL PHARMACIST

  • This kind of pharmacist works in a hospital.
  • They also fill the doctor’s prescriptions just like the community pharmacist.
  • Hospital pharmacists also work with doctors and other specialists in providing medicine recommendations to patients.
  • They are also responsible for the inspection and inventory of drugs in a hospital.

RESEARCH / ACADEMIC PHARMACIST

  • Pharmacists who choose a path in an educational institution and provide lectures for students are called academic pharmacists.
  • Research pharmacists focus on researching, testing, and improving the effectiveness of a drug, safety standards, and the effects it will have on the human body.
  • They also take part in developing new medications for different illnesses.

PSYCHIATRIC PHARMACIST

  • Psychiatric or mental health pharmacists are also hospital pharmacists, but they provide clinical pharmacy services to patients that suffer from mental health issues and disorders.
  • Pharmacists with this specialization require a strong knowledge of psychotropic drug therapy. 

MILITARY PHARMACIST

  • These pharmacists work in the navy, air force, and army.
  • They assist military doctors in providing healthcare to military staff.

NUCLEAR PHARMACIST

  • Pharmacists who work with drugs containing radioactive materials are known as nuclear pharmacists.
  • These drugs are combined using radioactive equipment to treat illnesses such as cancer.

SPECIALTY DRUG PHARMACIST

  • Specialty drug pharmacists are responsible for handling specialty drugs that treat severe conditions.
  • Specialty drugs are costly and must be stored in special storage.
  • These pharmacists coordinate with other specialists for correct dosages, and they also advise doctors and patients on appropriate alternatives to the specialty drugs.

DIRECTOR OF PHARMACY

  • These pharmacists oversee the operation and management of a pharmacy.
  • They secure and keep the different medicines and coordinate with the medical staff to provide the patients with their needed medications.

Other careers that pharmacists can pursue include:

  • Informatics Pharmacists
  • Home Care Pharmacists
  • Drug Safety Officer
  • Primary Care Pharmacists
  • Pharmaceutical Industry/Clinical Trials
  • Locum Pharmacists
  • Government and NGO Roles
  • Women’s and Newborns’ pharmacists 

Duties of a Pharmacist

  • There is no single job description that can identify what pharmacists do. 
  • Despite different specializations, here are some of the tasks a pharmacist usually performs: 
    • Dispense prescriptions
    • Coordinate with professionals who give prescriptions
    • Provide counsel to patients
    • Sell over-the-counter drugs and fill doctor prescriptions
    • Provide recommendations to patients on drug use
    • Ensure the safety of patients
    • Inspect and ensure that medicines are safe to consume
    • Perform minor health tests such as checking blood pressure
    • Develop and improve new and existing medicines.
  • Being a pharmacist requires a license.
  • They must always be updated on drug approvals and changes, indications, and warnings and always comply with pharmaceutical laws.

Qualities of a Pharmacist

  • Being knowledgeable in one’s field is important in every profession.
  • However, being knowledgeable is not enough to become a pharmacist.
  • Important characteristics pharmacists must possess include:
    • Communication skills
    • Honest
    • Sociable and approachable
    • Patient-oriented
    • Decision-maker

Top Schools to Study Pharmacy

  • The list provided shows the top institutions that stand out when studying Pharmacy and Pharmacology:
    • Harvard University
    • Monash University
    • University of Cambridge
    • University of Oxford
    • University of California, San Francisco
    • University of Nottingham

Famous Pharmacists

FRIEDRICH WILHELM SERTÜRNER

  • He was a German pharmacist who discovered morphine in 1804.
  • He was also an expert in alkaloid chemistry.

JOHN STITH PEMBERTON

  • He was an American pharmacist who invented the famous drink Coca-Cola.
  • John Stith Pemberton made Coca-Cola for medicinal purposes, promoting it as a brain tonic and intellectual beverage.

WILLIAM PROCTER JR.

  • He was coined as the Father of American Pharmacy.
  • He established the American Pharmacists Association in 1851 and is famous for his work in the United States Pharmacopeia.

HUBERT HUMPHREY

  • He was a licensed pharmacist who also became the 38th vice president of the USA.
  • He was known for his advocacies, and he was also the proponent of health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.

ALEXANDER FLEMING

  • He was a Scottish physician, bacteriologist, and pharmacologist well-known for his discovery of the antibiotic substance called penicillin.

Pharmacist Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about pharmacists across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Pharmacists who are licensed professionals who help us get the correct prescription given by doctors.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  1. Pharmacist Facts
  2. The Pharmacists
  3. Reveal The Truth
  4. Important Characteristics
  5. Going To The Pharmacy
  6. Pharma Survey
  7. Famous Pharmacists
  8. I Can Explain
  9. Wonder Pill
  10. This Is What I’ll Do
  11. My Dream As A Pharmacist

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a pharmacist do?

There is no single job description that can identify what pharmacists do. Despite different specializations, here are some of the tasks a pharmacist usually performs: Dispense prescriptions Coordinate with professionals who give prescriptions Provide counsel to patients Sell over-the-counter drugs and fill doctor prescriptions Provide recommendations to patients on drug use Ensure the safety of patients Inspect and ensure that medicines are safe to consume Perform minor health tests such as checking blood pressure Develop and improve new and existing medicines. Being a pharmacist requires a license. They must always be updated on drug approvals and changes, indications, and warnings and always comply with pharmaceutical laws.

What are the qualities of a good pharmacist?

Being knowledgeable in one’s field is important in every profession. However, being knowledgeable is not enough to become a pharmacist. Important characteristics pharmacists must possess include: Communication skills Honest Sociable and approachable Patient-oriented Decision-maker.

What are the top schools if you want to be a pharmacist?

The list provided shows the top institutions that stand out when studying Pharmacy and Pharmacology in the US: Harvard University Monash University University of Cambridge University of Oxford University of California, San Francisco University of Nottingham

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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