Pharmacists are healthcare
professionals who practice pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on
the effect of medications and their safe use. Pharmacists undergo college-level
education to understand biochemical mechanisms of action of drugs, drug uses
and therapeutic roles, side effects, potential interactions, and monitoring
parameters. Professional interpretation and communication of this specialized
knowledge to patients, physicians, and other health care providers are
functions which pharmacists provide, and are central to the provision of safe
and effective drug therapy.
Pharmacists work
in a number of different settings including community, hospital and
primary health care.They
could also work in other roles where there may be less direct contact with
patients, for example in universities, regulation, government organisations,
research, publishing and the pharmaceutical industry.