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Pharmacist job questions.

Path to becoming a compounding pharmacist?

  • I have a few questions about becoming a compounding pharmacist: 1) How much more education is required past the normal 4 of pharmacy school to be able to make drugs? 2) What is an average salary for a compounding pharmacist versus a normal retail pharmacist? 3) Do retail pharmacies hire compounding pharmacists specifically or is this more of a mom-and-pop type of job? I've just never seen compounding advertised at the chains and I don't really know if they even use them at the major chains.

  • Answer:

    In the U.S. all licensed pharmacists are capable of compounding. Compounding is taught in pharmaceutics classes in pharmacy school. Every pharmacist has to have these basic skills in order to graduate and be licensed. Most pharmacist salaries are the same, regardless of practice setting. The shortage of licensed pharmacists in the U.S. has pretty much leveled the salary playing field. There are some exceptions, but they are mainly related to years of experience and management skills rather than practice setting. Although not advertised, all licensed pharmacies must be able to provide some level of extemporaneous compounding, although some compounded prescriptions may have to be referred to speciality compounding pharmacies. The average chain pharmacy compounds 1-3% of total Rxs, more if you take into account antibiotic reconstitution, which is technically a form of compounding. However, if a pharmacy starts to derive a signifcant portion of business from compounding medication, it may no longer be considered compounding pharmacy, but manufacturing pharmacy. Compounding is regulated by the individual state pharmacy boards; manufacturing is regulated by the FDA. Besides working in a compounding pharmacy, if you are interested in pharmaceutics, manufacuring pharmacy (i.e., working for a drug company in production) may be the avenue you should pursue. There are many more opportunities because there are many drug companies. Both areas of practice are in demand and are rewarding. There are many summer internships available in the pharmaceutical industry and may give you the needed exposure for you to make a decision. Best wishes. Rick the Pharmacist

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Compounding pharmacy is just a speciality. If you want to do that, you should make sure to take all the compounding classes your school has and do a rotation at a compounding pharmacy P-4 year. All pharmacists can compound. It is just there aren't that many prescriptions which require it.

Lea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_of_pharmacy#United_States_of_America I would suggest going to one of these schools websites and calling the pharmacy school and asking. Or you could write or email. This is Purdue's Pharmacy school website: http://www.pharmacy.purdue.edu/ http://www.nacds.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=507 hopefully if no one else who knows answers those will help you. hopefully a pharmacist is around!

spidermilk666

I agree completely with Rick but thought I'd add that if you're interested in working in drug research or manufacturing then you'd want to go for a PhD in pharmacology. Also, Purdue is a good school to check out even if you don't plan to go there. They really have a good staff who will answer questions. -Ken the pharmacist

Ken

If you are interested more in compounding pharmacy than working in a non-compounding pharmacy, you should consider a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, also called Industrial Pharmacy. You would have many of the same classes as a pharmacy student, but you would end up working for a pharmaceutical company in their R&D division as a formulation scientist. You'll work day in and day out developing new drugs, manufacturing material for clinical trials, and potentially following the drug from lab-scale development to commercial-scale manufacture (depending on how the company is organized). Many schools offer a 4-year B.S. in Pharm. Sciences in addition to M.S. and Ph.D. programs. You can also enter a Pharm. Sciences graduate program with an undergraduate degree such as chemistry or chemical engineering provided that you have taken the prerequisite courses needed for the graduate program. With a Ph.D. in Pharm. Sciences, you can expect a salary comparable to a pharmacist's.

pharmgrl

I don't get why people answer questions by providing a link that doens't really answer their question like the previous person. In terms of compounding - I do know that in Canada at least, there is a variety of compounds that pharmacists are allowed to compound with their general pharmacy degree. However, there is a compunding course in the US that a lot of people tend to take from the PCCA. Check out their website, as they include all the important info about compounding in the pharmacy http://www.pccarx.com/

shonester

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