When people think of pharmacists, they tend to think of someone in a white coat standing behind a counter in a drug store dispensing medication. While many pharmacists choose to find a career in retail pharmacy, there are so many more options that someone with a Pharm.D. degree can pursue. At the University of Findlay, our Department of Pharmacy Practice coordinates experiences for students completing the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) hours. The purpose of these hours is to give students exposure to various opportunities within the field of pharmacy.
Careers
Community Pharmacy
Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare provider and interact with their communities to keep them healthy. As a community pharmacist, you are responsible for providing immunization, promoting wellness in the community and reviewing medications for safety and effectiveness.
Nuclear Pharmacy
Pharmacists compound radioactive materials that are used in a variety of diagnostics imaging including heart, thyroid and other types of cancer.
Collaborative Practice
In many states, pharmacists work in a collaborative manner with prescribers – once a diagnosis is made, the pharmacist selects appropriate therapy, orders labs and adjusts doses. Conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma have been shown to be much better controlled when a pharmacist is part of the healthcare team.
Special Populations
If you have a passion for serving a particular population, you can focus your education to fit their needs. Pediatrics, emergency medicine, intensive care, oncology and transplant medicine are some examples of areas that require specialized knowledge. You can improve outcomes in a variety of healthcare settings.
Research & Industry
Research continues to fuel new medications that hit the market. Pharmacists are found in every pharmaceutical industry employer and are the minds behind drug discovery and testing. Be involved in the next major medication breakthrough.
Population Health
Population health is the way to make a big impact on the health of a community. In this field, pharmacists are involved in looking at medication use and health patterns and making recommendations for the most cost-effective way to use medications. More and more large businesses, such as insurance companies and the government are employing pharmacists to help make these important decisions.
Veterinary Pharmacy
Pets and zoo animals take medication too! The animal pharmaceutical industry is booming, and pharmacists are there to help meet medication needs.
Government Settings
Military branches, Veteran's Administration and Indian Health settings all employ pharmacists in various settings. Pharmacists are independent prescribers in these settings as well, and that they manage clinics to help their patients manage medications for chronic health conditions.