My husband is a retail pharmacist and has been for over 20 years. He likes his job. He particularly likes the people side of things. The best pharmacists are extremely detail oriented, enjoy working in a team environment, have great communication skills, and do care about helping people. His job involves lots of time on the phone with doctors, patients, and insurance companies. Lots of problem solving. It involves lots of standing (all day), and lots of time on the computer. He also counsels patients about their medications, and gives immunizations. His work hours include weekends and many holidays, and most shifts are longer than 8 hours. He is happy with his salary. He doesn’t like the constant pressure to meet corporate goals. If he were to make a change he would probably like to work in a nursing home (he truly loves working with the elderly) or maybe just go part time.
The preparation required to be a pharmacist is similar to premed–lots of science and math, particularly chemistry. Admission to pharmacy school is quite competitive. My husband decided to pursue pharmacy in his third year of college. He has a bachelor’s in biochemistry and his pharmD. He has to renew his license every two years and this requires a bunch of continuing education. His employer provides access to continuing education but there are plenty of other resources available outside of this as well.