A career that lets you mix things up a little.
Compounding pharmacists prepare customized or personalized medications in response to a prescription or when commercially available drug products do not meet a patient’s individual needs.
For instance, a compounding pharmacist may change a medication to alter its strength for a child who needs a lower dose, add a flavor to make it taste better, remove non-essential ingredients (e.g., gluten or dye) for patients who are allergic, or change its form (e.g., from pill to liquid) to make it easier to use or swallow.
Practice Setting: They work in highly sterile, controlled and safe laboratories, which can be independent or inside of a medical facility.
Educational Requirements: While all pharmacists are educated about compounding in pharmacy school, a compounding pharmacist may complete additional training in this area after earning a PharmD degree.
Patients: Compounding pharmacists work daily to provide medications to a variety of patients, but don’t typically interact with them directly.
Traits: You enjoy the idea of creating custom medicines and solving complex problems. Additionally, you want to work in a unique and less common area of pharmacy, and would prefer to work in a laboratory setting.