Pharmacists
What Pharmacists Do
Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. May advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosage, interactions, and side effects of medications.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 0.6%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.6/5
- Mathematicsimportance 4.5/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.2/5
- English Languageimportance 4.2/5
- Chemistryimportance 4.1/5
- Biologyimportance 4.0/5
- Psychologyimportance 3.7/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.4/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate5.0/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team5.0/5
- Contact With Others4.9/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Archivists98% skill match
- Occupational Therapists98% skill match
- Gambling Managers97% skill match
- Dietitians and Nutritionists97% skill match
- Recreation Workers97% skill match
- Neurologists97% skill match
- Veterinarians97% skill match
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers97% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.6/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.6/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.6/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.6/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.4/5
- Instructingimportance 3.4/5
- Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.4/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Computer records systems
- Freedom MedTEACH
- Healthprolink MedAtlas
- Insurance claim processing software
- Label-making software
- Multitask software
- Pyxis MedStation software
- Recordkeeping software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Cooperation
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Self-Control
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- SocialMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- RealisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where pharmacists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Iowa City, IA2.34× national avg
- 2Morgantown, WV2.15× national avg
- 3Sioux Falls, SD-MN1.85× national avg
- 4Arecibo, PR1.82× national avg
- 5Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH1.80× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Physician AssistantsLateral Move
- Obstetricians and GynecologistsLateral Move
- NeurologistsLateral Move
- VeterinariansLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management
- Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Boston, MA)grads earn ~$141,852
- Northeastern University Professional Programs (Boston, MA)grads earn ~$136,474
- University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)grads earn ~$86,586
- University of Maryland Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)grads earn ~$148,993
- Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, FL)