Lucy+C

Pharmacy
 * Three things I would like to know about Pharmacy: **
 * What exactly does a Pharmacist do?
 * What skills do I need to be a Pharmacist?
 * How do I get into Pharmacy?


 * The sources I used to find my information: **
 * Careers NZ
 * Pharmacy Council Of New Zealand
 * New Zealand's National School of Pharmacy (Otago University)

**About Pharmacy:** A Pharmacist prepares mixes and dispenses medicine to patients with a prescription. They also provide information and advice to patients and doctors about what medicine would be the best to use and also tell patients about how to take the medication properly.


 * Industry type: ** Health Science


 * Tasks and duties: **
 * Contributing to peoples health and wellbeing
 * Using chemistry
 * Helping people recover from or manage illness, injury or disability
 * Working with medicines
 * Diagnosing or treating patients
 * Using biology
 * Making calculations
 * Advising people
 * Using te reo Maori and working with Maori communities
 * Providing customer service
 * Selling, promoting or trading


 * Skills and knowledge: **
 * How to mix medicines accurately
 * Medicines and how they affect the human body
 * Laws relating to pharmacy practices
 * Alternative health treatments and practices


 * Personal and Physical Qualities: **
 * Honest and efficient
 * Good at maths
 * Manage and train staff
 * Responsible and careful
 * Accurate
 * Organised
 * Observant
 * Good at research
 * Good customer service skills (communication, patient, helpful and friendly)


 * Qualifications and conditions: **
 * **Secondary education–** NCEA level 3 Chemistry, Biology and Physics are preffered
 * **Tertiary education–** Bachelor of Pharmacy, working in a Pharmacy or hospital
 * **Useful experience-** Phamacist technician and pharmacy work, customer service experience and any work in the health industry.
 * **Working conditions-** A pharmacist will work in either a community pharmacy or a hospital.
 * ** Hours- ** A pharmacist will work normal buisness hours (9am-5pm) but some will be required to work longer hours and weekends.
 * ** Pay and progression- **An intern (1-5 years) will earn $35,000 per year. A fully qualified pharmacist will earn $70,000 per year. A charge pharmacist (a person in charge of a pharmacy) will earn $80,000-$90,000 per year. If a pharmacistis sick or takes leave, a Locum will step into cover that shift. A locum will earn approximately $40 per hour.
 * ** Related job(s)- **Research and develpoment in the pharmeceutical industry, medical publishing, teaching, management/advocacy with professional pharmacy organisations.


 * To become a Pharmacist, you need to: **
 * Have a bachelor of Pharmacy from either Auckland or Otago University
 * Complete an internship of working in a pharmacy or hospital
 * Register with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand
 * Have an Annual Practicing Certificate (this requires ongoing training)



A pharmacist works either in a hopsital or a community pharmacy perscribing and giving advice on medicine. They mix and fill in perscriptions and also help diagnose patients. A pharmacist will help patients recover from injury, illness or disability and will sell and trade cosmetics and beauty products in the community pharmacy.
 * Question 1: What exactly does a Pharmacist do?**

Many skills are needed to become a Pharmacist. You need to be able to mix medicines properly and accurately, know how certain medicines affect the body, know the laws of Pharmacy practices and alternative health treatments and practices.To gain these skills, you need to study at either Auckland or Otago University and gain a Bachelor of Pharmacy. Then, you need to complete an internship of working in a hospital or pharmcy and register with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand. Also, you will require an Annual Practicing Certificate which requires ongoing training.
 * Question 2: ** **What skills do I need to become a Pharmacist?**

When a Pharmacist first starts working, they are called an intern. From there, once they have completed all starting qualificatiions, they are a fully-qualified Pharmacist. After this, you may become a charge Pharmacist. A charge pharmacist is the head of their own Pharmacy.
 * Question 3: Is there a chance to gain higher qualifications in Pharmacy?**

Pharmacy is my dream job. I would like working and helping people with health related issues and using chemistry and biology, however, I would not like counting and measuring pills and medicine. Working in a pharmacy would create an opportunity to help people and share my knowledge. I would love working with different medicines and learning what effects they have on the body and giving advice on the human body aswell as finding solutions to help the customer. Being a pharmacist will allow me to continue on my love of swimming as I can work in buisness hours, which is important to me. Pharmacy keeps evolving as new medicines and treatments are being uncovered so it is a job that I can keep learning new skills and knowledge.
 * Conclusion: **