What Is A Critical Care Pharmacist Job? How Much Do They Earn?

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Critical care is part of the medical department where patients with critical or severe issues admit. Today we’ll discuss the Critical Care pharmacist job role

There are many care facilities in the medical industry, each offering a unique service. The nature of critical care makes it one of the most sensitive types of care facilities.

This article is about critical care pharmacist jobs, how much they earn, and what they do.

What Is Critical Care?

Critical care is a medical facility where different types of medical professionals provide healthcare to patients with serious illnesses. All the health professionals who work in critical care are very skilled.

Because most patients staying in critical care are in desperate need of help and medical care from experts.

Who Are Critical Care Pharmacists?

Critical care pharmacists ensure the wellness of patients by assessing the right medicine for them. Also, they make sure the effectiveness of medicine for critically ill and injured patients, so they can recover soon.

The primary duty of critical care pharmacists is to monitor patients’ medications prescribed by their doctors.

Let’s find out what are the duties you’ll perform as a critical care pharmacist.

Monitor Side Effects

Doctors may prescribe different types of medications to patients for their swift recovery. However, some medications can cause side effects such as allergic reaction, itching, nausea and rash.

In such a case, the pharmacist will change the genre of the medicine after consulting with the doctors to give patients medicines that will have minimal side effects.

Managing Pharmacy

You’ll be in charge of managing the whole workflow of the critical care pharmacy, for example, receiving medicines from pharmaceutical companies and handing over the medicines to patients.

Patient Counseling

As a pharmacist, you’ll educate the patients about the medicine dosage and how and when to take those medicines.

Medical documentation

Critical care pharmacists frequently update the medical records to trace how the prescribed medicine is performing on the patient’s body. This also helps the physicians know about their prescribed medicine’s effectiveness.

Educating nurses and caregivers

Pharmacists in critical care also assist nurses and caregivers in ensuring that the patient takes the right medicine on time.

How Much Do The Critical Care Pharmacists Make?

The average critical care pharmacist’s salary is $88,329 per year or $48.50 per hour in the USA. Entry-level positions pay between $60,000 to $74,,101 per year, and experienced workers earn up to $145,000 per year.

As the top earners in this profession make more than six figures ($100,000) yearly, how long could it take to earn this range salary? High-range salary comes with expertise and skill. You should have at least five years of working experience to be in the six-figure salary range.

Where Does A Critical Care Pharmacist Work?

Critical care pharmacists’ jobs are not similar to other pharmacist jobs. That’s why their career opportunity is limited to medical facilities that have critical care units.

However, that does not mean you cannot work in other facilities. You can work as a pharmacist anywhere in the medical field.

How To Become A Critical Care Pharmacist?

To make yourself eligible for a critical care pharmacist role, you’ll need to have a set of requirements. Having these requirements are mandatory to get a critical care pharmacist job.

Requirements to become a critical care pharmacist:

Bachelor’s degree

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited pharmacy school. You can also get a pharmacist job with an associate degree. But some employers prefer a master’s degree in pharmacy.

Postgraduate

As your main goal is to become a critical care pharmacist, you’ll need additional training and education for this specific field, which is why many medical facilities require pharmacists to complete postgraduate year two (PGY2) Critical Care Pharmacy Residency programs.

License

You won’t be able to work as a pharmacist in the United States until you become licensed. How to get a license? To be licensed, you must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX).

Experience

If you haven’t completed any critical care pharmacy program but have working experience in a critical care environment. In that case, you can use your experience as an alternative to postgraduate or critical care pharmacy programs.

Skills Of A Critical Care Pharmacist

In critical care, a pharmacist needs to do various things. Skill is the most important factor that helps critical care pharmacists do their duties.

Required skills of a critical care pharmacist:

Team management

Critical care pharmacists need to be very good at team management as they manage teams that include pharmacy technicians, nurses and other medical professionals.

Technical knowledge

You should be comfortable using different types of devices and medical interfaces as a critical care pharmacist because using devices and medical systems will be a part of your daily work-life.

Physically fit

Being physically fit is also important for pharmacists as, throughout the day, you will need to be in the pharmacy, visit patients, lab and physicians’ offices and sometimes lift weights when moving equipment for receiving medicines.

Interpersonal skills

It is necessary to have good interpersonal skills to work collaboratively with colleagues and patients.

Why Should You Choose This Career?

A critical care pharmacist is a career you should consider if you’re looking for a fast-paced working environment where you can earn a good salary while securing a good future.

Is Critical Care Pharmacist A Good Career?

Yes! Critical care pharmacists’ job is an amazing career path because the job opportunity is growing every day, and you can find jobs easily at your nearest medical facility right after you graduate from pharmacy school.

Can A Critical Care Pharmacist Work In Different Fields?

Although the critical care pharmacist career is lucrative, people may decide to change the path to another. As a critical care pharmacist, you can always pursue another career path, and there won’t be any hurdles.

Let’s see some other pharmacist positions that you can switch to.

Can Pharmacists From the USA Work In Canada?

The United States and Canada have a lot of similar things, and medical professionals from the U.S often migrate to Canada for work. But is it possible to work as a pharmacist with a license from the U.S.?

You can work in Canada with American pharmacy degrees, as Canada recognizes it. You will first have to verify your academic credentials and then participate in the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) to certify yourself as a pharmacist in Canada.