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Clinical pharmacist vs physician

The differences between clinical pharmacists and physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $94,705 average annual salary of a clinical pharmacist.

The top three skills for a clinical pharmacist include patients, patient care and pharmd. The most important skills for a physician are patients, surgery, and patient care.

Clinical pharmacist vs physician overview

Clinical PharmacistPhysician
Yearly salary$94,705$238,887
Hourly rate$45.53$114.85
Growth rate2%7%
Number of jobs101,56446,489
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age4248
Years of experience-4

What does a clinical pharmacist do?

A clinical pharmacist is responsible for offering high-quality health care services for the patients, especially on administering effective medications by evaluating the patient's health condition and checking medical history. Clinical pharmacists assist other medical professionals in developing treatment plans and pharmacy programs, educating the patients on appropriate medicine dosages, medicine intake instructions, and other activities that would help patients achieve their healthy lifestyle and wellness. They must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, including appropriate treatments and procedures, to provide the best treatment options for the patients' needs and patiently respond to their inquiries and concerns.

What does a physician do?

Physicians' general responsibility is to check, diagnose, and treat a patient's condition to improve their overall wellness. A physician could be General Practitioners or Specialist Physicians, wherein General Practitioners are physicians who provide regular checkups for patients depending on their needs and refer them to a Specialist Physicians who are more skilled in a particular field of expertise for a thorough diagnosis. Physicians monitor a patient's medical history and ensure follow-up checkups to observe if the condition of a patient is changing over time. A physician may refer a patient to other health professionals for further examination as needed.

Clinical pharmacist vs physician salary

Clinical pharmacists and physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Clinical PharmacistPhysician
Average salary$94,705$238,887
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $152,000Between $128,000 And $442,000
Highest paying CityLos Angeles, CACleveland, TN
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWisconsin
Best paying companyEast Tennessee Children's HospitalYuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between clinical pharmacist and physician education

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

Clinical PharmacistPhysician
Most common degreeDoctoral Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorPharmacyMedicine
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborDuke University

Clinical pharmacist vs physician demographics

Here are the differences between clinical pharmacists' and physicians' demographics:

Clinical PharmacistPhysician
Average age4248
Gender ratioMale, 39.0% Female, 61.0%Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.8% Asian, 21.4% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%13%

Differences between clinical pharmacist and physician duties and responsibilities

Clinical pharmacist example responsibilities.

  • Train, manage and instruct pharmacy technicians, interns, and PharmD candidates on clinical rotations.
  • Dose and manage all Vancomycin and Aminoglycoside antibiotics throughout the entire hospital including overseeing, evaluating, and ordering antibiotic labs.
  • Receive and verify drug orders from physicians using computerize physician order entry system, including cancer chemotherapy orders.
  • Implement updated pediatric chemotherapy-induce nausea and vomiting (CINV) guidelines and policy for use in all pediatric patients receiving chemotherapy.
  • Provide clinical assistance to the RPh staff in addition to case processing.
  • Maintain sterile product manufacturing processes to comply with federal, state and local regulations and JCAHO standards.
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Physician example responsibilities.

  • Manage catheters and dress wounds.
  • Maintain ACLS and BLS certifications.
  • Treat complicated oncology cases in ICU and emergency.
  • Schedule new, follow-up and diagnostic testing for cardiology patients.
  • Attend radiation oncology clinic for new patients beginning treatment as well as follow-ups for returning patients.
  • Schedule tests and procedures (including radiology, cardiology, and respiratory) utilizing the hospital and clinic computer systems.
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Clinical pharmacist vs physician skills

Common clinical pharmacist skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • Patient Care, 11%
  • PharmD, 7%
  • Medication Orders, 5%
  • Pharmaceutical Care, 4%
  • Drug Therapy, 4%
Common physician skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Surgery, 8%
  • Patient Care, 7%
  • Internal Medicine, 6%
  • Primary Care, 6%
  • EMR, 6%

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