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Pharmacy internship vs clinical staff pharmacist

The differences between pharmacy interns and clinical staff pharmacists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacy internship has an average salary of $80,116, which is higher than the $77,646 average annual salary of a clinical staff pharmacist.

The top three skills for a pharmacy internship include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a clinical staff pharmacist are patients, patient care, and IV.

Pharmacy internship vs clinical staff pharmacist overview

Pharmacy InternshipClinical Staff Pharmacist
Yearly salary$80,116$77,646
Hourly rate$38.52$37.33
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs89,197162,262
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Doctoral Degree, 45%
Average age4242
Years of experience--

What does a pharmacy internship do?

When it comes to a pharmacy internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to observe pharmacy operations and develop efficient communication skills as most of the tasks will revolve around customer service, such as providing instructions on when to take medications and what could be the side effects. Moreover, working as a pharmacist requires excellent attention to detail, ensuring that all customers receive the correct type and amount according to their prescriptions. Among the duties can also revolve around administrative tasks such as verifying prescriptions, keeping and maintaining accurate records, and responding to inquiries.

What does a clinical staff pharmacist do?

A Clinical Staff Pharmacist is responsible for supervising pharmacy dispensing processes and the consultation of patients. They analyze prescribing trends to ensure patient compliance and to prevent excessive usage or harmful interactions.

Pharmacy internship vs clinical staff pharmacist salary

Pharmacy interns and clinical staff pharmacists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmacy InternshipClinical Staff Pharmacist
Average salary$80,116$77,646
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $139,000Between $44,000 And $136,000
Highest paying CitySan Diego, CADavis, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companySafewayUniversity of California
Best paying industryHealth CareHealth Care

Differences between pharmacy internship and clinical staff pharmacist education

There are a few differences between a pharmacy internship and a clinical staff pharmacist in terms of educational background:

Pharmacy InternshipClinical Staff Pharmacist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Doctoral Degree, 45%
Most common majorPharmacyPharmacy
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Pharmacy internship vs clinical staff pharmacist demographics

Here are the differences between pharmacy interns' and clinical staff pharmacists' demographics:

Pharmacy InternshipClinical Staff Pharmacist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 40.6% Female, 59.4%Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% Asian, 27.1% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% Asian, 22.2% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between pharmacy internship and clinical staff pharmacist duties and responsibilities

Pharmacy internship example responsibilities.

  • Attain thorough knowledge of processes involving medication delivery, compounding, IV/TPN/ chemotherapy preparation, and other hospital pharmacy operations.
  • Counsele patient with regard to OTC medications and Rx medications under the supervision of the pharmacist (s) on duty.
  • Interview patients to obtain information regarding drug allergies and sensitivities and document the information in the pharmacy system.
  • Collaborate with referring physicians in providing diabetes education to patients with multiple chronic conditions individually and in group sessions.
  • Provide diabetes counseling and conduct informational lectures regarding blood glucose monitoring and insulin administration to patients recently diagnose with diabetes.
  • Offer and provide consultation to patients under the supervision of the RPh on duty
  • Show more

Clinical staff pharmacist example 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.
  • Serve as the preceptor for PharmD students in a clinical in-hospital pharmacy rotation.
  • Check against drug interactions, allergies, contraindications, and monitor for core measure compliance.
  • Show more

Pharmacy internship vs clinical staff pharmacist skills

Common pharmacy internship skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • Blood Pressure, 7%
  • Allergies, 5%
  • Math, 5%
Common clinical staff pharmacist skills
  • Patients, 20%
  • Patient Care, 9%
  • IV, 7%
  • PharmD, 5%
  • Pharmacokinetics, 5%
  • Pharmaceutical Care, 5%

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