Pharmacists are health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use.
They are people who understand drugs, drug uses, therapeutic roles, side effects, potential drug interactions, and monitoring parameters. They also interpret and communicate this specialized knowledge to patients, physicians, and other health care providers.
Pharmacist Salary Rate in Nigeria and their Duties
The average rate Pharmacist salary in Nigeria is ₦109K and above.
Entry Level Salary for Pharmacist in Nigeria is ₦109K and above.
Mid Level Salary for Pharmacist in Nigeria is ₦147K and above.
Senior Level Salary for Pharmacist in Nigeria is ₦178K and above.
The Pharmacist Duties in Nigeria;
- Ensure Patients’ Safety
- Provides pharmacological information by answering questions and requests of health care professionals; counseling patients on drug therapies.
- Controls medications by monitoring drug therapies; advising interventions.
- Prepares medications by reviewing and interpreting physician orders; detecting therapeutic incompatibilities.
- Protects patients and technicians by adhering to infection-control protocols.
- Dispenses medications by compounding, packaging, and labeling pharmaceuticals.
- Completes pharmacy operational requirements by organizing and directing technicians’ work flow; verifying their preparation and labeling of pharmaceuticals; verifying order entries, charges, and inspections
- Maintains safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations.
Career Opportunities for Pharmacist
As well as working as a community or hospital pharmacist, pharmacy graduates can also find opportunities in academia, the pharmaceutical industry and with regulatory bodies
Jobs directly related to your degree and the career opportunities for pharmacist or where your degree would be useful include:
- Community pharmacist
- Hospital pharmacist
- Research scientist (medical)
- Clinical research associate
- Higher education lecturer
- Medical sales representative
- Medical science liaison
- Pharmacologist
- Physician associate
- Product/process development scientist
- Regulatory affairs officer
- Research scientist (life sciences)
- Science writer
- Toxicologist
Educational Qualification
Earn a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (often called a Pharm.D.). behind medicine, the technical aspects of managing prescriptions and the ins and outs of patient care.
Pharmacist Skills
Studying pharmacy enables you to develop skills specific to the role of a pharmacist, including:
- Knowledge of facts and theories relating to the discovery, design, development, manufacture and delivery of medicines
- Knowledge of the properties and clinical uses of medicines
- How patients react to the medicines they take
- The ability to communicate effectively with patients and other health professionals
- Production of pharmacy-specific scientific documentation
- Operation of pharmaceutical instrumentation
- Knowledge of the law and ethical concerns relating to the supply of medicines
- Analysis of medicines
- An understanding of individual patient care and issues relating to public health.
- Accuracy, Integrity, Communication, science and math skill, advocacy skill, diplomacy ,ability to multitask and prioritize, analytical mind.
Common Pharmacist Interview Questions
- Why do you want to become a pharmacist?
- What problematic situations can occur in a pharmacy?
- Where do you see yourself in five years time?
- How do you keep your knowledge up to date with current pharmacy practice, new drugs and trends in the industry?
- Describe a situation when you went above and beyond of what was expected.
- A customer returns to the pharmacy with a bottle of prescription medication that is partially used and says it doesn’t work. How would you address the issue?
- What do you think is the most important business aspect of being a pharmacist?
- You’re out of stock on medication for a customer who is extremely difficult. How would you explain the situation to the patient?
