Expert: Nigel Simmons - 10/27/2004

Question
Tell me a little bit about your job.
How long did it take you to get through all your schooling?
How many hours a day do you work?
How often do you have to deal with a hostile customer?
What is the worst part about your job?
What is the most rewarding part about your job?
What is your average pay?
What would be some good advice I should have before entering this profession?
How long have you been involved in this profession?
How much time do you have off in a year?  

Answer
- Tell me a little bit about your job.

As a hospital pharmacist my responsibility would be to ensure supply (including procurement) of all medicines and related products reach the patient in a timely and accurate way. In addition to the well recognised tasks such as dispensing, work would involve discussion with doctors and nurses over the appropriateness or suitability of a treatment for a particular patient, managing staff and drug budgets, ensuring availability of detailed clinical information when required, advising the hospital management on service needs and delivery.

In a community/retail setting, the dispensing and procurement roles would still apply, but in addition there would be more opportunity to council and advise patients on their treatments or to provide advice on the management of minor illnesses.

- How long did it take you to get through all your schooling?

After finishing basic and advanced school exams at 18, there was a three year university degree course (now 4 years) and one years supervised pre-registration training. Nowadays there is also a pre-reg exam before final registration.

- How many hours a day do you work?

Typically 40-50hrs per week for a full time employee or manager.

- How often do you have to deal with a hostile customer?

Anger and frustration could be common events when the hospital was particularly busy and there was more work than the staff could cope with, resulting in delays. This was not helped by poor co-ordination of discharges and inadeqaute communication between medical, nursing and pharmacy staff (and the patient!).

Violence was not an issue in the hospital, but is not unknown in the community setting.

- What is the worst part about your job?

Seeing that there was more work than staff, and the hospital management didn't want to change it.

- What is the most rewarding part about your job?

The thank you from patients when you go over the top to resolve their problem (delivering drugs to their home, coming in from home specially to resolve a problem etc.). Beyond that, the satisfaction of having done a good job and benefitted patients.

- What is your average pay?

In hospitals, pharmacist pay runs from around GBP16,000 to GBP60,000 depending on experience and responsibilities.

In community, a pharmacist manager would probably earn around GBP35,000 and locums around GBP22 per hour.

- What would be some good advice I should have before entering this profession?

Think of pharmacy as a vocation, more than a job. That way the long hours and hard work seem more reasonable. It softens the pay issue as well!

As a pharmacist you are never likely to be unemployed. There is always a need for your skills somewhere locally.

- How long have you been involved in this profession?

I first registered in 1982, so I've been practising for 22+ years.

- How much time do you have off in a year?

4-6 weeks would be about the norm, plus public holidays (Christmas, Easter etc.).


I hope that helps.