Pharmacist

Professions Published

A community pharmacist is an expert in medicines and pharmacotherapy. They usually work at pharmacies as experts and in customer service. They are required to provide information on pharmaceuticals and their effects. The profession also requires customer service skills, accuracy and care.

Pharmacies, pharmaceutical industry and wholesale trade, universities, dispensaries in health centres, public administration.

Browse job postings: Pharmacist

In the profession of a pharmacist, you must be familiar with medicines, their effects and adverse effects, compatibility, and storage and use methods. If you work in the manufacture of medicines, you are required to be familiar with medicines and manufacturing methods, must have a good ability to concentrate, and be very thorough and careful.

If you work at a pharmacy, the focus is on your expertise in pharmacotherapy as well as customer service skills. You must be able to understand the customer's problem and communicate information to the customer so that they can make the best decision for their health. You also help the customer make a solution.

You need to be responsible, careful and accurate, you need interaction skills, problem-solving skills and an ability to continuously develop your competence. In urgent situations, good stress tolerance is an advantage. Sometimes the work involves handling dangerous substances, which means that safety-related competence is essential.

A community pharmacist's degree is a master's degree that can be completed at a university.

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A community pharmacist is a licensed professional. Upon application, the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira grants the right to practise a health care profession in Finland. Valvira maintains a national register of health care professionals.

Licensing of a pharmaceutical dispenser

Median salary

3266 €/mo

Private sector

3304 €/mo

Public sector

3102 €/mo

The data is based on the median income, meaning the amount of salary which is the middle of the salary amounts arranged in order of magnitude.

Source: Statistics Finland's structural statistics on wages and salaries