Pharmacy

Pharmacy as a Science and Profession

The study of pharmacy, symbolically represented with a mortar and pestle or with the letters “Rx”, includes training in several key disciplines, such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutics, pharmacy law, pharmacokinetics, and medication compounding. Within the practice of pharmacy, numerous specialties exist, which vary depending on the practice setting. Individuals with training in pharmacy may work as community pharmacists in retail or neighborhood pharmacies, as clinical pharmacists or hospital pharmacists in hospitals or in hospital pharmacies, as consultants, as drug information specialists, as professors and researchers in academia, or as specialists in the pharmaceutical industry.

Other specializations based on clinical roles may include nuclear, oncology, cardiovascular, infections disease, diabetes, nutrition, geriatric, and psychiatric pharmacy. In addition, many pharmacy schools are reforming curricula to increase emphasis in fields such as pharmacotherapeutics, clinical pharmacy, nuclear pharmacy, disease state management, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacogenomics, thereby expanding the scope of traditional pharmacy training and practice.

Pharmacy as a Practice Setting

A community pharmacy, sometimes called a drugstore or an apothecary, often consists of a retail storefront with a separate area in which medications are stored and dispensed. The dispensary is subject to regulation with requirements specified in legislation for things such as storage conditions, compulsory texts, and equipment. Community pharmacies often employ licensed pharmacists as well as trained pharmacy technicians. In recent years, different types of retailers have begun establishing pharmacies in developed countries, including grocery stores and mass merchandisers.

Within the practice of pharmacy, numerous specialties exist, which vary depending on the practice setting.

Hospital pharmacies are usually found within the premises of the hospital. Hospital pharmacies usually stock a larger range of medications, including more specialized medications, than community pharmacies. Hospital pharmacists and trained pharmacy technicians compound sterile products for inpatients including total parenteral nutrition, and other medications given intravenously. This is a complex process that requires adequate training of personnel, quality assurance of products, and adequate facilities.

In addition to community and hospital pharmacies, the beginning of the twenty-first century has witnessed the spawning of new types of pharmacies, namely mail-order pharmacies and internet pharmacies. Mail-order pharmacies typically consist of a central dispensary equipped to handle large volumes of prescription orders, which accepts prescriptions from health providers and the dispensed medications to patients without any face-to-face interaction.

Internet pharmacies operate in a similar fashion but have come under considerable scrutiny from various regulatory agencies. Concerns over international importation, counterfeiting, and proper licensing have made internet pharmacies a contentious issue.