WHAT IS PHARMACY ?

When asked about pharmacy, most people will respond by

saying pharmacy is a drugstore or a place where you buy your
medication.
Most people do not think about pharmacy as a profession.
 PHARMACY

Pharmacy is a place, a profession, and sometimes a business.

A pharmacy is a place where licensed pharmacists dispense
medicine on receiving a valid prescription written by a legal
prescriber.
Pharmacists are registered by a board of pharmacy, and
therefore are designated registered pharmacist
 WHAT IS A PROFESSION?

A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere

to ethical standards and uphold themselves to and are
accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and
skills in a widely recognized body of learning derived from
research, education, and training at a high level, and who are
prepared to exercise this knowledge and these skills in the
interest of others.
 There are also three widely and commonly recognized
characteristics of a profession:
1. study and training
2. measure of success, and
3. associations
 A BRIEF HISTORY OF PHARMACY

The earliest known record of the art of the apothecary the

forerunner of the pharmacist is in Babylon, the jewel of the
ancient Mesopotamia, now Iran, and previously Persia.
Practitioners at this time (ca. 2600 BC) were priests,
pharmacists, and physicians, all in one. The Chinese also
contributed to early pharmacy (ca.2000BC)
 From this point forward in history, the art of crude medicine
preparation and pharmacy became more refined by the
Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans. One Roman in
particular, Galen. He practiced and
taught pharmacy and medicine in Rome, and he is revered by
both professions today. Hi principles of preparing and
compounding (mixing ingredients) ruled in the Western World
for 1500 years.
 The first official compendium of drugs, or pharmacopoeia,
originated in Florence, Italy, in 1498 and was compiled by the
Guild of Apothecaries and the medical society. The Society of
Apothecaries of London was the first organization of
pharmacists in the Anglo-Saxon world. It was formed by
pharmacists who broke away from the Guild of Grocers that
ha jurisdiction over them.
Early English apothecaries compounded and dispensed drugs
and provided medical advice
 Americas first association of pharmacists, the Philadelphia
College of Pharmacy, was founded in 1821 at Carpenters
Hall, the same place that birthed the countrys Declaration of
Independence.
 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF
PHARMACY?
Quite a few people, even some pharmacists, answer the above
question by saying to supply The medicine
The purpose of pharmacy practice is to help patients
make the best use of their medication. From a public
health point of view, pharmacists are needed to assure
the rational and safe use of the medication. Pharmacists
are needed as a doublecheck in the drug-use process.he
medication.
 WHAT CONTROLS PHARMACY?

Some controls for pharmacy are licensure, laws, and rules and
regulations. Compliance with pharmacy laws, drug laws, and
rules and regulations is hecked by announced and
unannounced visits to the pharmacy by various agencies.
The State Board of Pharmacy, the U.S. Health Department, the
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), the Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) can show up for an inspection at any
time.
 PHARMACY LICENSURE

Licensure is a major controlling force in pharmacy.

Pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacies are licensed
by a State Board of Pharmacy. It is important to note that a
pharmacist is designated as a registered pharmacist (R.Ph.).
However, this designation is only provided after passing a
State Board of Pharmacy examination. Thus, all registered
pharmacists are also licensed pharmacists.
 PHARMACY ETHICS

Another reason pharmacy is a collegial profession is that

pharmacists feel the honor of the profession and respect what
has been handed down from one generation of pharmacists to
the next. In addition, all pharmacists share and subscribe to a
code of ethics that has been handed down through decades.
 Ethics are standards of conduct. They are also about what a
person carries within: attitude, disposition, relationship to self,
and relationship to others.
Ethics is about style and about adhering to certain principles.
For pharmacists, it is about treating others with respect and
adhering to the professions code of ethics.
A code of ethics for a profession does more than spell out rules
of conduct for its members.
A professions code of ethics sets it apart from broader groups
of occupations or careers. It is the glue that keeps the
profession distinctive and together.
The constant sense of the professions ethics is what is
distinctive about the good pharmacist versus the technically
expert pharmacist.
 VALUE OF PHARMACY

The pharmacy profession would not exist if it was not needed.

Society says there needs to be a pharmacist in the health
care system. Pharmacys role is to oversee the drug-use
process, to make it safe, and to make it efficient. It also
exists to help patients make the best use of their medication.
 During 1989 to 1999, pharmacists were rated the most
trusted professionals by annual Gallup polls in the United
States.3
In the 2000 Gallup poll, pharmacists were rated second only
to nurses for honesty and ethical standards.
Pharmacy has worked to earn respect from patients, and
earns it one pharmacist, one patient at a time.
 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND
EXERCISES
1. Wh at led you to ch oose ph armacy as a career?
2. Wh at about ph armacy attracts you?
3. Wh at will pharm acy allow yo u to accom plish ?
4. Of the answers provided in questions 1 to 3 , circle th e two mos t
im portan t
an swers .
5. As of right no w, wh at do you th in k your first job will be as a ph arm acist?
6. With out con sultin g anything or anybody, m ake a lis t of care er
opportunities you kno w are available for ph arm acists.
7. Circle two to th ree o ppo rtunities o n the list th at appeal to you. H ow do
th ese co mpare to what you an swe red in question 5 ?
8. Do you th ink there are m ore o pportunities for ph armacists th an yo u
listed in question 6 ?
9. If yes, h ow will you inve stigate th ese oppo rtun ities?
10 . H ow does the public form its opin ion of ph armacy?
 WHAT PHARMACISTS DO

QUALITY CONTROLLER
CAREGIVER
CLINICIAN
ADVISOR
TEACHER
MANAGER
OWNER
RESEARCHER
SALES REPRESENTATIVES
QUALITY REVIEWER