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The differences between pharmacists and retail 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 $118,899 average annual salary of a retail pharmacist.
The top three skills for a pharmacist include patients, customer service and employee development. The most important skills for a retail pharmacist are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Pharmacist | Retail Pharmacist | |
| Yearly salary | $118,968 | $118,899 |
| Hourly rate | $57.20 | $57.16 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 50,943 | 110,278 |
| Job satisfaction | 3.67 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A Retail Pharmacist prepares and distributes medications to customers, as well as advises them about how to use medications. They are responsible for providing the proper dosages and medicine to patients according to their prescriptions.
Pharmacists and retail pharmacists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmacist | Retail Pharmacist | |
| Average salary | $118,968 | $118,899 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $151,000 | Between $93,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Safeway | Hy-Vee |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a pharmacist and a retail pharmacist in terms of educational background:
| Pharmacist | Retail Pharmacist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Pharmacy |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between pharmacists' and retail pharmacists' demographics:
| Pharmacist | Retail Pharmacist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8% | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% Asian, 22.1% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |