7 Advantages of Being a Pharmacist

As someone who’s interested in going into the pharmacy field, you may be asking: “What exactly are the benefits of this career path?”

This is a great question to ask because going to school to become a full-fledged pharmacist is actually a lot of work. 

Becoming a pharmacist requires 3 to 4 years of undergraduate pre-professional coursework, along with 4 years in a professional program. 

Becoming a Pharmacy Doctor, thus, requires about 8 total years of schooling—and for good reason.  Handing out medications to patients is a huge responsibility that requires a lot of medical knowledge! 

Thus, it’s a really good idea to weigh the pros and cons, just to make sure that this is a career field that you could be passionate about. 

So let’s dive into it and discuss the 7 biggest advantages of being a pharmacist. 

Here’s what you need to know. 

1. You Can Help More Patients

As a pharmacist, you’ll have the power to help your patients in a wide variety of different ways. 

Pharmacists play a crucial role in helping their patients to achieve better health outcomes, which leads to fewer hospitalizations and complications and more people getting better, feeling better, and performing better in life. 

2. You Get To Be An Asset To The Community

As a pharmacist, you’ll become a pillar of important medical assistance in your community. 

Let’s be honest—everyone needs their local pharmacist. They need to not only fill their prescriptions but also ensure that their prescriptions are being used properly. 

As a pharmacist, you can assist with this and make a big difference. 

3. You Get Some Pretty Awesome Benefits

Pharmacists gain access to some pretty amazing benefits. For example—you’ll probably get great health insurance, a retirement plan, and more. 

Plus, did you know that pharmacists tend to get better options for mortgage loans?

It’s true. 

Check out this blog post for a list of the lenders who offer these types of loans. 

4. You’ll Earn An Attractive Salary

According to Glassdoor, an attractive average base pay for pharmacists is just over $119,000 per year. 

That’s a pretty amazing salary, especially when you take into account that you can earn more than that with some companies and in some specific areas of the industry. 

The median wage for pharmacists is reported to be $128,570, with the highest 10% earning more than $164,000 per year. 

5. You Get To Be Part Of A Healthcare Team

Another great aspect of working as a pharmacist is the fact that you get to be a crucial part of a healthcare team. 

You’ll work with other healthcare professionals to help improve the health outcomes of patients being treated with a wide variety of different types of medicine. 

You’ll also get to work with professionals who specialize in many different fields of medicine. 

Did you know that pharmacists can also participate in clinics, counsel patients, and even provide telephonic communications with clients who need assistance with medications?

Yes. It’s actually a very diverse field of practice. 

6. You’ll Have Autonomy

Pharmacists bring a number of high-value skills to the table. As such, they generally have the ability to define their roles in healthcare settings as they best see fit for the care of their patients and their own quality of life. 

This means that most pharmacists get to choose their work environment, as well as the specific hours that they work.

If you’re looking for a career in healthcare that gives you some leeway with your schedule, then being a pharmacist may definitely be the way to go. 

7. You’ll Enjoy A Flexible Schedule

Along with gaining autonomy to work on your own terms, you’ll also gain time flexibility that’ll contribute to a better work-life balance. 

There are many different types of shifts and working hours available for pharmacists. Since they’re in pretty high demand, they can generally find work with the types of hours that tend to work best for them. 

You can even work remotely in some environments as a pharmacist, which is awesome if you prefer to work from home or from a remote office. 

Conclusion

There you have it. 

7 advantages of being a pharmacist. 

The great news is that this is a great career path. It also comes with great benefits, pay, and future opportunity. 

Is it the right one for you, though?

Only you have the power to decide that. 

And hopefully, this blog post has helped you to make your decision.