Biochemist vs pharmacist

The differences between biochemists and pharmacists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacist has an average salary of $118,968, which is higher than the $72,910 average annual salary of a biochemist.

The top three skills for a biochemist include chemistry, immunoassay and elisa. The most important skills for a pharmacist are patients, customer service, and employee development.

Biochemist vs pharmacist overview

	Biochemist	Pharmacist
Yearly salary	$72,910	$118,968
Hourly rate	$35.05	$57.20
Growth rate	15%	2%
Number of jobs	16,016	50,943
Job satisfaction	-	3.67
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	40	42
Years of experience	6	-

What does a biochemist do?

A biochemist is responsible for researching biological processes and the components of organisms to diagnose possible diseases and develop medication solutions for various illnesses and genetic disorders. Biochemists also contribute resources for environmental sustainability that would help the agricultural industry prevent afflictions. They conduct an in-depth analysis of complex projects and manage laboratory investigations while following strict protocols and safety regulations. A biochemist organizes research papers and present studies to other scientists and medical professionals for recommendations or possible further experiments.

What does a pharmacist do?

Pharmacists are medical experts who distribute prescribed medications and immunizations to individuals. They are responsible for ensuring the quality of medicines supplied to patients, which should be within the law and prescribing only what is suitable to the condition of the user and provide proper knowledge on how to take them and possible reactions or side effects that may occur. Pharmacists could work in all environments where medications are used, or medication therapy is appraised as part of patients' care plan but most commonly in hospitals, community-based setting, and health systems.

Biochemist vs pharmacist salary

Biochemists and pharmacists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Biochemist	Pharmacist
Average salary	$72,910	$118,968
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $110,000	Between $93,000 And $151,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	Genentech	Safeway
Best paying industry	Health Care	Retail

Differences between biochemist and pharmacist education

There are a few differences between a biochemist and a pharmacist in terms of educational background:

	Biochemist	Pharmacist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology	Pharmacy
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Biochemist vs pharmacist demographics

Here are the differences between biochemists' and pharmacists' demographics:

	Biochemist	Pharmacist
Average age	40	42
Gender ratio	Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 17.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% Asian, 20.9% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	11%

Differences between biochemist and pharmacist duties and responsibilities

Biochemist example responsibilities.

Manage laboratories and perform clinical research in diabetic and thyroid disease states.
Design fit-for-purpose assays to track various peptide biomarkers in support of clinical studies.
Determine serotype of putative viral infections in clinical samples utilizing RNA extraction and RT-PCR sequencing techniques.
Provide early involvement and target support for clinical identification of biomarkers involving gene expression profiling, proteomics, and immunohistochemistry.
Compile and process data in LIMs or other validate spreadsheets.
Perform patient sample correlations, interference, ANOVA and stability testing.

Pharmacist example responsibilities.

Perform diabetes interviews along with physician collaboration agreement to manage therapy and optimal goals.
Dose and manage all Vancomycin and Aminoglycoside antibiotics throughout the entire hospital including overseeing, evaluating, and ordering antibiotic labs.
Perform critical care and oncology medication therapy management reviews for all patients assign to both satellite pharmacies.
Assist with transition to new computer system pending start of permanent PIC.
Deliver approximately 20K prescriptions per day to patients through budgeting Dr. Andy Nguyen, Pharm.
Provide small-group formal educational presentations for cardiac rehabilitation patients.

Biochemist vs pharmacist skills

Common biochemist skills

Chemistry, 17%
Immunoassay, 9%
Elisa, 7%
GMP, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%
Test Results, 5%

Common pharmacist skills

Patients, 22%
Customer Service, 11%
Employee Development, 8%
Allergies, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
Drug Therapy, 5%

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Biochemist vs Pharmacist

Updated January 8, 2025

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