Pharmacist

Tasks & duties

Pharmacists may do some or all of the following:

• prepare, mix and dispense medicines
• provide information and advice on the use of medicines to doctors and patients
• check prescription doses and possible interactions betweem medicines to ensure they are appropriate and safe
• help patients to get the best from their medicines
• review medicines with patients and advise their doctors
• prevent and solve medication problems
• assist patients to manage long-term health conditions
• keep records of medications given
• provide drug information to health professionals and the public
• supervise and train intern pharmacists
• supervise and check the work of pharmacy technicans and other pharmacy staff

Pharmacists working in community pharmacies may also:

• advise customers on the use of health products, health issues and lifestyle choices 
• sell medical and surgical aids, and other health products 
• offer services such as blood pressure, glucose or cholesterol testing 
• provide services to nursing homes and/or private hospitals 
• give talks and lectures on pharmaceutical issues for community groups or organisations, or other health professionals
• promote careers in pharmacy at school careers events and evenings

Pharmacists working in hospital pharmacies may also:

• design and implement policies and procedures for medicine use throughout the hospital 
• provide information to individual ward areas on budgets and expenditure on drugs
• design and carry out clinical trials

Specialisations

Community Pharmacist

Community pharmacists work in retail pharmacies and provide services to the community. They sell products and give advice and information to community groups and other healthcare professionals.

Hospital Pharmacist

Hospital pharmacists provide services to doctors, hospital staff and patients.

Skills & knowledge

Pharmacists need to have knowledge of:

• medicines and how they affect the human body
• laws that relate to pharmacy practices 
• alternative health treatments and practices
• how to mix medicines accurately
• They also need to have: 
• research skills 
• basic computing skills, with particular knowledge of pharmacy programs 
• good communication and listening skills, particularly to ensure customers understand how to use their medicines
• problem-solving skills 
• the ability to manage and train staff 
• maths skills 
• organisational and record-keeping skills

Community pharmacists need to have business skills for the day-to-day running of a pharmacy.

Entry requirements

To become a pharmacist you need to have a Bachelor of Pharmacy. This can be completed at the University of Auckland or University of Otago. Entry is limited and competitive, and selection is based on academic merit.
You must also register with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand to get an Annual Practising Certificate.

Secondary education

A tertiary entrance qualification is needed to enter further training. Bursary or NCEA Level 3 science and maths is preferred and English is helpful.

Training on the job

After graduation, pharmacists complete their internship through training on the job.
Once registered, pharmacists must enrol in a continuing professional development programme. This includes keeping up to date with new information on medicines by reading journals and articles, and attending conferences and drug company presentations.
Postgraduate professional programmes are available.

Registration

To gain registration as a pharmacist, you must complete an internship of one year working in a hospital or community pharmacy. You can only register as a pharmacist if you have successfully completed the assessment requirements of the internship.

Useful experience

Useful experience for pharmacists includes pharmacy technician and pharmacy assistant work, or any customer service or health-related work.

Video

Pharmacist

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Related courses

Pharmacy

For more information, please refer to Career Services.