what do pharmacist do anyway? Every time I go to the pharmacy, I see a lineup of people behind the counter doing something I’m sure they’re counting up pills, but did they do anything else?
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They make sure that the pills you’re given are not going to kill you, for the most part. But they also prepare the pills and do other medical things to ease pressure on the GPs.
In the UK, at least, the pharmacist is the final and primary person legally responsible for making sure that the prescription you’re given won’t do you any harm (e.g. by reacting badly with other things you’re taking, by being the wrong dosage, by being unsuitable for other conditions you might have, and so on). That’s why, even with over the counter medication, you’ll often be asked whether you’ve taken it before, and similar things. In the past they would also have been heavily involved in actually making up suitable dosage pills, powders and so forth from the active ingredients.
There’s also pharmacists for compounding. Basically they need to make sure that the drug that’s being compounded is the correct drug and dosage so as not to harm the patient it’s going to.
They know how all medicines work, how much you can take, etc. If a medical provider sends meds that are dangerous in combination, they’ll call and work it out with the provider. If a medical provider is sending an insane amount of opioids or benzos, they can call and question the provider and even refuse to fill it. They are legally responsible for making sure the medicine is safe and correct.
There are also “compound pharmacies” these are pharmacies where they literally make the medicine in the pharmacy. It’s quite fascinating. So obviously the pharmacist is the primary person for those processes.
They verify that the medication you are receiving is indeed the correct one, pill by pill usually, verify that medications you take are safe to be taken together, sometimes change medications to an equivalent one in case the prescribed one isn’t available. They also verify that the dosage is appropriate for you and so much more. They need to know most info about medications by memory, our pharmacists knew if a patient could take a medication based off lab results, illnesses, for how long, etc.
they are counseling patients on the phone. submitting and dealing with insurance on behalf of patients. talking to doctors’ offices to discuss drug interactions, dosing, etc. and verifying prescriptions (is it the correct drug, proper strength, accurate pill count, does the label have the required information, etc). source: wife is pharmacist
One thing I dont see here is billing. Mostly falls on the pharmacy technicians, but we make sure your insurance is actually billed correctly. And if there are discount cards a patient wants to use we can try to do COBs with them. We also have to do dosage math (looking at you insulins and opiates) and make sure the dose doesn’t kill ya.
Then the patient charting is also done at a pharmacy. (We’re a medical practice and it’s important to tell us what makes your body unique, blood pressure, diabetes, even depression!)
And ALL OF THE DATA ENTRY. Every order that comes in needs inputted and sent to insurances to be billed, cross checked with other medications on the file for interactions, and even compliance checks need done (making sure your taking your medications properly to control your blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.) its not all counting pills all day, but a lot of medical safety and compliance follow ups.
American pharmacist here.
Behind the counter we are inputting your script in the computer, billing your insurance, checking for drug interactions, insuring the provider didn’t write something stupid that’s going to kill you (happens more often than you think), counting the medication, packaging the medication, running quality assurance to make sure everything is being dispensed correctly, and finally selling you the medication. In my state I am also legally required to speak to you about the medication if the drug is new to you.
In addition to all of that, we are answering the phone, calling insurance companies when they’re being stubborn about payment, calling for refills, calling doctors for prior authorizations on insurance, dealing with technology that breaks way too often, dealing with pain in the ass drug seekers/problem customers, giving vaccines, etc.
Always lots going on in a busy pharmacy space. There’s more than this that goes on but involves a lot of industry lingo that’s beyond an eli5.
Those actually counting the pills and at the register are likely Pharmacy Technicians, at least in the US. As others mentioned, the Pharmacist is the final authority. They make sure the script is written and filled correctly, and that the meds are safe for the patient to take.
There’s also nuclear pharmacists. We make and dispense radioactive drugs for imaging and treatment. You likely will never see one of us, but we are always behind the scenes working to make sure your imaging provides the best quality information.
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