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Pharmacy internship vs staff pharmacist

The differences between pharmacy interns and staff pharmacists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff pharmacist has an average salary of $118,844, which is higher than the $80,116 average annual salary of a pharmacy internship.

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

Pharmacy internship vs staff pharmacist overview

Pharmacy InternshipStaff Pharmacist
Yearly salary$80,116$118,844
Hourly rate$38.52$57.14
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs89,197115,299
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
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 staff pharmacist do?

The job of staff pharmacists entails dispensing prescription drugs to patients and offering their expertise on how to safely use prescribed medicines. Their job responsibilities include overseeing the medications prescribed to patients, providing healthy lifestyle advice such as diet, stress management and exercise, providing immunizations, and conducting health and wellness screenings. They also supervise the work of pharmacists in training and pharmacy technicians, teach other health practitioners on the appropriate medication therapies for individual patients, and do certain administrative tasks.

Pharmacy internship vs staff pharmacist salary

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

Pharmacy InternshipStaff Pharmacist
Average salary$80,116$118,844
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $139,000Between $93,000 And $151,000
Highest paying CitySan Diego, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companySafewaySafeway
Best paying industryHealth CareRetail

Differences between pharmacy internship and staff pharmacist education

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

Pharmacy InternshipStaff Pharmacist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common majorPharmacyPharmacy
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Pharmacy internship vs staff pharmacist demographics

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

Pharmacy InternshipStaff Pharmacist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 40.6% Female, 59.4%Male, 46.5% Female, 53.5%
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, 7.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 5.6% Asian, 20.7% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between pharmacy internship and 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

Staff pharmacist example responsibilities.

  • Dose and manage all Vancomycin and Aminoglycoside antibiotics throughout the entire hospital including overseeing, evaluating, and ordering antibiotic labs.
  • Maintain excellent relationship with patients base on consultations, efficacy, and compassion.
  • Implement value-added customer service programs including individualize counseling, smoking cessation classes, and flu and pneumonia immunization clinics.
  • Coordinate prescription fulfillment and verification, including reviewing patient profiles for interactions, allergies, and compatibility prior to dispensation.
  • Train and coach new hires, interns and in turn ensure patient compassion.
  • Used PYXIS machine to fill control prescription and to retrieve information on particular orders.
  • Show more

Pharmacy internship vs staff pharmacist skills

Common pharmacy internship skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • Blood Pressure, 7%
  • Allergies, 5%
  • Math, 5%
Common staff pharmacist skills
  • Patients, 21%
  • Patient Care, 18%
  • Customer Service, 17%
  • Patient Safety, 11%
  • Compassion, 9%
  • Immunization, 6%

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