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What is a clinical staff pharmacist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Brent Rollins RPh, PhD
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Clinical staff pharmacists ensure the excellent and effective use of medications. They advise on the correct administration of drugs and assess pharmaceutical treatment results, earning a median salary of $77,000 per annum, or $37 per hour.

Clinical staff pharmacists are stationed in hospitals and clinical environments, ensuring that certain medications meet the patients' recovery goals and needs. They are quite knowledgeable about different varieties of diseases and illnesses, and they keep up-to-date with the latest medical advancements. They educate the patients and their families about what the drugs are for and how to use them.

Clinical staff pharmacists have excellent analytical, computer, and communication skills. They may work overtime, into the night and weekends. They usually hold a doctorate in pharmacy and have gone through residency training. They are natural leaders and professionals with a license and strong ethics. Their aptitude in problem-solving and decision-making is exemplary, too. Due to these facts, it is safe to say that venturing into this field is not an easy feat, and it takes a lot of time and effort.

What general advice would you give to a clinical staff pharmacist?

Brent Rollins RPh, PhDBrent Rollins RPh, PhD LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor of Pharmacy Administration, Website

Speaking strictly from a supply and demand perspective, yes. In the next four to five years, the amount of pharmacy graduates is going to drop significantly as enrollment has dropped nationwide. I've seen data and had conversations with hiring managers about what the traditional practice role market will look like in the near future and all point to quite the increase in demand.
ScoreClinical Staff PharmacistUS Average
Salary
6.1

Avg. Salary $77,646

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 22.22%

Black or African American 7.35%

Hispanic or Latino 5.68%

Unknown 3.99%

White 60.58%

Gender

female 58.42%

male 41.58%

Age - 40
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Clinical staff pharmacist career paths

Key steps to become a clinical staff pharmacist

  1. Explore clinical staff pharmacist education requirements

    Most common clinical staff pharmacist degrees

    Doctorate

    45.4 %

    Bachelor's

    45.0 %

    Master's

    6.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific clinical staff pharmacist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients20.44%
    Patient Care9.23%
    IV6.62%
    PharmD5.31%
    Pharmacokinetics5.06%
  3. Complete relevant clinical staff pharmacist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical staff pharmacists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical staff pharmacist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical staff pharmacist resumes.
  4. Research clinical staff pharmacist duties and responsibilities

    • Dose and manage all Vancomycin and Aminoglycoside antibiotics throughout the entire hospital including overseeing, evaluating, and ordering antibiotic labs.
    • Determine appropriateness of medications and monitor drug-drug interactions, drug-disease interactions, and allergies.
    • Analyze every drug order for potential drug-relate medical problems and implementing corrective action to ensure that patients receive optimal drug therapy.
    • Verify daily proficiency reports generate by the PYXIS dispensing system.
  5. Prepare your clinical staff pharmacist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical staff pharmacist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical staff pharmacist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable clinical staff pharmacist resume templates

    Build a professional clinical staff pharmacist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your clinical staff pharmacist resume.
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
    Clinical Staff Pharmacist Resume
  6. Apply for clinical staff pharmacist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a clinical staff pharmacist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first clinical staff pharmacist job

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Average clinical staff pharmacist salary

The average clinical staff pharmacist salary in the United States is $77,646 per year or $37 per hour. Clinical staff pharmacist salaries range between $44,000 and $136,000 per year.

Average clinical staff pharmacist salary
$77,646 Yearly
$37.33 hourly

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Clinical staff pharmacist reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Pay is fair for a starting pharmacist (CVS). The technicians are alright. 401K Helping people (and I really mean it).

Cons

Typical pharmacist complaints like tired legs, stress, etc. Terrible work-life balance. You make a good amount of money, sure, but there's a point where money doesn't bring happiness like it used to.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Pros

it helps a lot. i really needed this.

Cons

i like everything. theres nothing i dont like.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

The ability to make a difference in someones Health and Wellness

Cons

Inability to balance Life and Work and Family


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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