Job Description of a Pharmacist

Clinical pharmacists, ones who work in a hospital setting, have one main responsibility: make sure that all the prescriptions that are being dispensed are compatible with the patient, and the other medications that the patient may be taking along with each other.  Although many people think that this is an easy job, pharmacists do have to sit at the computer all day looking at the same chemicals and drug interaction charts.  They also have to keep track of ones that come out of the machine that have to be delivered to rooms as soon as possible.  These pharmacists work very closely with the doctors in the hospital; as soon as they see two drugs that should not be combined together, they must page the prescribing doctor or give him/her a call and ask him for a replacement prescription.
Retail pharmacists, ones who work at retail stores like Rite Aid, CVS, and WalGreens, have the same responsibility.  However, these professionals deal with patients much more directly.  When people come in with prescriptions, they are the ones who have to explain how many times a day the drugs should be taken, what you can and can't do while on the drug, and many other minute details that we overlook as the consumers.  As opposed to sitting at a computer all day, these pharmacists have to deal with many other aspects, such as the inventory of drugs that come in everyday, which drugs need to be ordered, and all the new drugs out on the market that doctors still don't know about yet.