A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in order to dispense them safely to the public and to provide consultancy services. A pharmacist also often serves as a primary care provider in the community and offers services, such as health screenings and immunizations.
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links health sciences with pharmaceutical sciences and natural sciences. The professional practice is becoming more clinically oriented as most of the drugs are now manufactured by pharmaceutical industries. Based on the setting, pharmacy practice is either classified as community or institutional pharmacy. Providing direct patient care in the community of institutional pharmacies is considered clinical pharmacy.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) existed from its founding as the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 1841 until 2010. The word "Royal" was added to its name in 1988. It was the statutory regulatory and professional body for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in England, Scotland and Wales. In September 2010, the regulatory powers of the Society were transferred to the newly formed General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). The RPSGB became the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) at that time and retained its professional leadership role; the "Great Britain" part of the name was dropped for day-to-day purposes.
A Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional doctorate in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a proficient graduate degree to practice the profession of pharmacy or to become a clinical pharmacist. In many countries, people with their Doctor of Pharmacy are allowed to practice independently and can prescribe drugs directly to patients. A PharmD program has significant experiential and/or clinical education components in introductory and advanced levels for the safe and effective use of drugs. Experiential education prepares graduates to be practice-ready, as they already have spent a significant amount of time training in areas of direct patient care and research.
The Poisons Act 1972 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom making provisions for the sale of non-medicinal poisons, and the involvement of local authorities and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in their regulation.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is the regulatory and professional body for pharmacy in Northern Ireland.
In the field of pharmacy, compounding is preparation of custom medications to fit unique needs of patients that cannot be met with mass-produced products. This may be done, for example, to provide medication in a form easier for a given patient to ingest, or to avoid a non-active ingredient a patient is allergic to, or to provide an exact dose that isn't otherwise available. This kind of patient-specific compounding, according to a prescriber's specifications, is referred to as "traditional" compounding. The nature of patient need for such customization can range from absolute necessity to individual optimality to even preference.
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852, is the first-established professional society of pharmacists in the United States. The association consists of more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and others interested in the profession. Nearly all U.S. pharmacy specialty organizations were originally a section or part of this association.
The Medicines Act 1968 is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its official long title is "An Act to make new provision with respect to medicinal products and related matters, and for purposes connected therewith." It governs the control of medicines for human use and for veterinary use, which includes the manufacture and supply of medicines, and the manufacture and supply of (medicated) animal feeding stuffs.
A veterinary pharmacist is a specially trained pharmacist who dispenses veterinary drugs and supplies or products and advice to owners of companion animals and livestock. In addition, they advise the regulatory bodies and are involved in the formulation of veterinary drugs. Veterinary pharmacy is a field of pharmacy practice, in which veterinary pharmacists may compound medications, fill prescriptions, and manage drug therapies for animals. Veterinary pharmacists are licensed pharmacists who specialize in the distribution of medications for animals.
Pharmacy residency is education a pharmacist can pursue beyond the degree required for licensing as a pharmacist. A pharmacy residency program allows for the implementation of skill set and knowledge acquired in pharmacy school through interaction with the public either in a hospital setting or community practice. The program is done over a span of about 2yrs after graduation from pharmacy school and licensure as a pharmacist. Pharmacy residency helps improve the resume of a pharmacist so as to increase chances of obtaining employment outside community practice. A 2022 review suggested that there is sufficient evidence that residency develops key competencies for junior pharmacists.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) is the statutory and professional body responsible for regulation of pharmacists and community pharmacies in Ireland. It is also responsible for overseeing the training of new pharmacists. Registration with PSI is essential in order to practice as a pharmacist or operate a pharmacy in Ireland.
The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is often an undergraduate or postgraduate pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In many countries, this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a bachelor of pharmacy or master of pharmacy degree.
Established in 1868, the Canadian Pharmacists Journal (CPJ) is Canada's oldest continuously published periodical. This peer-reviewed journal is published 6 times per year. It features original research, clinical reviews, commentaries, evidence briefs, clinical practice guidelines and practice tools relating to advancing pharmacy practice towards patient-centred care and improving outcomes. The journal has a circulation of over 18,000. It is the official publication of the Canadian Pharmacists Association.
The Pharmacy and Poisons Board is the Drug Regulatory Authority established under the Pharmacy and Poisons Act, Chapter 244 of the Laws of Kenya.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the body responsible for the independent regulation of the pharmacy profession within England, Scotland and Wales, responsible for the regulation of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises. It was created, along with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, in September 2010 when the previous body responsible for regulation, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, was split so that representative and regulatory functions of the pharmacy profession could be separated.
The Pharmacy Act 1868 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the major 19th-century legislation in the United Kingdom limiting the sale of poisons and dangerous drugs to qualified pharmacists and druggists.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana was founded on December 19, 1935, out of the former Gold Coast Pharmacists and Druggists Union and the Chemists Defense Association which had existed before 1929. The Society was founded by a group of pharmacists led by William Ayiah Hansen, Hansdrug College of Pharmacy, Hansdrug Hall, Accra. He did so with the support of Dr. D. Duff, then the Director of Medical Services. William Ayiah Hansen was then the Organizing Secretary and Registrar of the Society. Before 1935, the predominant pharmacist groups in Ghana were two associations. Pharmacists affiliated themselves to these groups according to their bonding or non-bonding to government service. The private pharmacists groups were led by William Ayiah Hansen.
Elsie Higgon was the first Joint Secretary of the (National) Association of Women Pharmacists; researcher for King's College, the British Medical Journal and the British Pharmaceutical Codex; Lecturer in Chemistry at Portsmouth Municipal College; proprietor pharmacist of two businesses in Hampstead, proprietor of the Gordon Hall School of Pharmacy for Women in Gordon Square, and a supporter of the suffrage movement.
The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 in the United Kingdom were created, under statutory authority of the European Communities Act 1972 and the Medicines Act 1968 in 2012. The body responsible for their upkeep is the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The regulations partially repealed the Medicines Act 1968 in line with EU legislation.
