Pharmacy is the third largest health profession in the United States. In 1997, approximately 170,000 licensed pharmacists in the United States.Of of some 43,000 work in community pharmacies, along with other employees in all areas of health and medical research. Pharmacists are employedin hospitals, nursing homes, home health care, managed care organizations, clinics and physicians ‘offices’. Other pharmacists work for federalagencies the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Still others are faculty members at colleges and universities.

In the past, the idea that pharmacists dispensing medicines, where their traditional role will be to count or pour medications. However, the profession has evolved to include the role of pharmaceutical care: the responsible provision of drug therapy to achieve specific outcomes that improve patients’ quality of life, disease and public administration, and systematic monitoring of disease, treatment options are available, and the results ordrug interaction that these adjustments can be expected production.

Pharmacists earn either a five-year Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, or six-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD.), although some pharmacists earn master’s or doctor of philosophy degrees in related fields. Before entering the practice, pharmacy graduates must pass the national licensure exam and meet other requirements in the countries in which they wish to practice. Theaging U.S. population, and o-continuous development of new drugs, along with the growing complexity of drug therapy only bode wellfor pharmaceutical profession in the twenty-first century.

There are many professional organizations that serve the needs of members ofthe pharmaceutical profession. These include the American Pharmaceutical Association (with offices in all 50 states and over 18,000 members), NationalPharmaceutical Association, National Community Pharmacists Association, the American Association of Health System Pharmacists and the American College of pharmacists.

Health consumers, the most common source for obtaining prescription drugs, the local community, or pharmacy. Medical consumers who are toHealth Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) can use the pharmacy location (at the HMO), or HMO may contract with certainpharmacies to their business. Another way that some individuals andsome insurance companies have chosen is mail-order pharmacy. With this arrangement is a recipe normally sent to mail-order pharmacy or phoned the doctor. How can take a week or more to reach home patient prescription is suitable for mail-order maintenance (long-term medication used to treat chronic problems such as high blood pressureand diabetes).

Since 1993, all pharmacists who practice in states receiving Medicaid funds are required to provide consultancy services on all matters pertaining tospecial instructions for medication, and measures for side effects of drugs, interactions, proper storage techniques for self-monitoring and other necessary guidance . After he was elected village pharmacy, medical itusually in the best interest of the consumer to remain with the pharmacyand not look for another pharmacy, especially if the patient has chosen pharmacy drug claims history. If the pharmacy maintains accurate drug history of the patient, the pharmacist can more easily control the drug interactions that may be potentially harmful to the patient, or decrease the effectiveness of different drugs prescribed by your doctor.