Clinical Pharmacist Job Description

What does a Clinical Pharmacist do? Does a Clinical Pharmacist job imply direct contact with patients? What services is he / she supposed to offer? To clarify on these matters it is best to define a clear Clinical Pharmacist Job Description.

Overall description of the job.

A Clinical Pharmacist is in charge of providing various services to the Division Director, such as taking part in continuing education programs for Medical staff, health care services, and Pharmacy students, advising physicians on drug usage and dose control in hospitals and clinics, and assisting the Division Director in his everyday duties.

Specific duties and activities

The specialized services demanded by a Clinical Pharmacist Job include advising physicians on the inherent dangers of drugs and their eventual side effects as well as helping them in the prescription of correct doses. This advice promotes improvement in drug usage / dosage and in the supervision of therapeutic procedures for best results.
Clinical Pharmacist responsibilities also include coordinating the pharmacy technician ´s duties – who work in the preparation, labeling and delivery of various medications or supplies according to prescriptions - and making sure that all dispensed drugs are recorded and delivered in accordance with local, state and federal laws or regulations.
Some of the Clinical Pharmacist Job duties are related to Education, as mentor pharmacists. They may train Pharmacy Residents, whose university activities include practical and theoretical knowledge, along with didactic direct experience. They may also deliver conferences at conventions and seminars.

Necessary Qualifications

To work at this level, it is necessary a BS Pharmacy Degree or a Doctor Pharmacy Degree and at least a two-year experience. Certifications in different areas of Pharmacy and an accredited residence program are a plus.
However, certain personal abilities are all vital, such as communication abilities (both oral and written), deep knowledge on drugs, medical procedures and therapies, diagnosis and disease states, and some pharmaco-kinetics. Skills in working with technical automated equipment and information systems are an added value to any Pharmacy Career.

Pharmacists as Researchers

Research is another broad field for Pharmacists who can perform as researchers or co-researchers for programs intended to study the impacts of providing quality care, pharmacoeconomic impact, etc.