7 Reasons to Become a Pharmacist
Science, health care, computer technology, business, math, and counselling make up the pharmacy profession. Science careers sometimes require minimal public contact, but pharmacy provides a rare combination of freedom and patient interaction, which can be quite enticing if you’re a ‘people person.’
If you’re looking for adventure, you may be shocked to hear that pharmacy can be quite exciting as there’s a position for front liners in Pharmacy, providing services during natural disasters, epidemics, and other crises.
With a Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree, you can begin a professional career in any institution in Malaysia.
Here are seven more reasons to become a Pharmacist.
1. Improving Patient Outcomes
One of the many patient outcomes that pharmacists have an enormous effect on is drug adherence and compliance. Half of all chronic illness patients do not take their drugs as prescribed.
By being open and establishing relationships with patients, pharmacists play an essential role in achieving better health outcomes, such as fewer hospitalisations, less disease development, and fewer co-morbidities.
2. A Variety of Career Opportunities
Pharmacy is a dynamic and fulfilling profession with ample opportunities for patient care, clinical study, and innovation. Pharmacists are trained to work in different professional environments.
Most pharmacists operate in an independent or retail chain neighbourhood pharmacy and provide patients with counselling on the use of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.
Pharmacists also practise in many other healthcare settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, managed care agencies, pharmaceutical companies, colleges and schools, and the federal government.
In all facets of the healthcare system, pharmacists can also run important leadership positions.
3. Being Part of the Healthcare Team
To improve patient’s health outcomes and ensure continuity of treatment, pharmacists collaborate with other health care practitioners.
The benefits of having a pharmacist on hospital rounds and outpatient care settings have been shown to minimize prescription mistakes and reduce costs.
Pharmacists are also playing a part in reducing hospital readmission rates, chronic illness management, and drug therapy management to introduce accountable care organisations.
They are part of the medical care team; they also work in hospitals, seeing patients, and advising them.
4. Growth Potential
In the pharmacy profession, many exciting innovations are taking place, including specialty pharmacy, pharmacogenomics discipline, and digital advances such as artificial intelligence.
Specialty drugs, such as biosimilars, are becoming a significant part of the pharmaceutical industry, and as demand rises, specialty pharmacies are thriving.
The same goes for rises in personalized healthcare expansion using genetic testing for genome sequencing and drug selection based on the patient’s DNA. Also, pharmacy schools are advancing their educational resources to suit their existing students’ needs.
Schools are now educating the next generation of pharmacy practitioners using ‘e-Patient’ modelling tools and artificial intelligence.
5. Autonomy
In selecting their work environment and working hours, pharmacists enjoy the benefit of professional autonomy. To provide optimum patient care, pharmacists can redefine their positions in the healthcare environment.
The role of a pharmacist continues to evolve as healthcare practice becomes more interdisciplinary, providing more significant opportunities for patient care.
Pharmacists assist physicians as an essential part of the health care team by ensuring the protection and effectiveness of patient medication. There is also the opportunity to start your own company and develop patient healthcare facilities.
6. Working with State-of-the-Art Technology
Electronic prescriptions, robotics for central drug distribution, and national prescription tracking systems, as well as pharmaceutical science, are digital developments in pharmacy.
Such technical advancements increase quality and help to encourage patient safety. Pharmacists use these same instruments to prioritize tasks, control the process of dispensing and spend more time with patients.
By regulation, for quality management purposes, pharmacists must oversee automated dispensing processes.
With the assistance of state-of-the-art technology, pharmacists may provide creative approaches to drug management, including prescribed therapies and the identification and resolution of issues.
7. Helping Defend Against Bioterrorism
Pharmacists are qualified to recognise disease signs and symptoms that can be used in a biological attack. One of the keys to an adequate mass immunization or drug delivery program in an emergency may be the accessibility of pharmacies.
Pharmacists are trained to play a significant role in preventing the spread of disease and supervising the delivery of effective and protected drugs in an outbreak or bioterror situation.
In a Nutshell
Pharmacy is one of the most promising industries for young professionals, with the medical industry being one of the fastest-growing and highest-paid fields.
A pharmacy degree in Malaysia could be the best choice for you to consider if you plan to go to university and are interested in biology, chemistry, and advanced mathematics.
