A career you’ll be into for the long-term!
Ambulatory care pharmacists provide critically important information to patients and their caregivers on a one-on-one basis regarding the safe and appropriate use of medications. These counseling sessions often occur between the patients’ visits to their physician or other health care professional, so the ambulatory pharmacist can assess how well the patients are taking and tolerating their medicines over time.
Ambulatory care pharmacists also work with other health care professionals to ensure that patients receive the right medications for their individual medical situations.
They may focus on general care or specific disease states, such as diabetes, asthma, HIV, or pain management, and they provide care for these illnesses by applying their extensive medication expertise, rather than directly handling medications.
Practice Setting: Ambulatory care pharmacists work in clinical office settings and pharmacies. Examples include non-hospital settings like pharmacies, clinics, and physician offices.
Educational Requirements: Ambulatory care pharmacists generally complete 1-2 years in a residency and/or pass a board certification exam after earning a PharmD degree.
Patients: They treat patients with multiple, short-term, or long-term medical conditions who frequently take multiple medications.
Traits: You like the idea of building long-term relationships with patients and other health care professionals, and you would prefer to work outside of a hospital setting. Additionally, you have the ability deal with complex issues and conditions.