Pharmacy directors serve the integral pharmaceutical job of running a medical facility's pharmacy and are heavily involved in managing the pharmacy's staff and inventory. Pharmacy director must focus on efficient customer service in addition to developing the pharmacy's many necessary policies and methods of operation.
As the director of a pharmacy, this pharmaceutical job is responsible for the staffing of the pharmacy. Pharmacy directors must help screen, interview, hire and train any new employees of the pharmacy. Since the pharmacy director is also responsible for the efficient operations of the pharmacy, he or she must continually check each employee's workload to make sure that they are completing all of their work at the standards required. Part of this pharmaceutical job is to foster a sense of teamwork among the pharmacy's staff to that the workplace is not only productive, but enjoyable for everyone.
One of the most important pharmaceutical jobs that a pharmacy director can attend to is managing the facility's inventory. In large medical centers and hospitals, patients constantly need new medications that can seriously affect their health and wellness. A good pharmacy director will make sure that the pharmacy has all the necessary medications and supplies needed for emergencies, general care and whatever specific conditions the facility treats. The pharmacy director must work closely with pharmaceutical sales reps to be sure that the medical facility has all the medications it needs to serve its patients, as well as working on back up plans in case the pharmacy runs out of a particular medication or there are problems getting enough of the medication to the facility. This pharmaceutical job also deals heavily with scheduling deliveries and storage.
Many pharmaceutical jobs require a high degree of schooling, and a pharmacy director position is no exception. All states require pharmacists to be licenses by a local governing body. That license can usually only be acquired through extensive school work and studying. A pharmacy director in particular must have at least two years of coursework in math and natural sciences as well as a doctorate degree in pharmacy. To be eligible for a pharmacy director position, most medical facilities or hospitals require at least two years of prior job experience in a clinical pharmacy setting.
Pharmaceutical jobs are one of the fastest growing fields in the nation. Pharmacist jobs in particular are expected to grow by as much as 22% by 2016, according to statistics from the Bureau of Labor. Pharmaceutical jobs in community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies and mail-order pharmacy stores in particular are expected to grow over the next several years. According to a May 2006 survey, the average salary for a pharmacist is about $94,520.
