Pharmacy Specialist (91Q)
- Enlisted
- Active Duty
- Army Reserve
Keeping Army pharmacies running smoothly is an incredibly important task. It’s up to the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to handle their operation. Patients and physicians depend on Army pharmacies to fill their prescriptions accurately. As an integral member of the pharmaceutical team, the Pharmacy Specialist, under the direction of a pharmacist, prepares and dispenses prescribed drugs and medicines, while also maintaining pharmacy supplies and records.
The Pharmacy Specialist is primarily responsible for preparing, controlling and issuing pharmaceutical products and supervising pharmacy activities. In addition to assisting a Pharmacy Officer, some of your duties as a Pharmacy Specialist may include:
- Reading physician prescriptions to determine the types and amount of drugs to prepare
- Weighing and measuring drugs and chemicals
- Mixing ingredients in order to produce prescription medications
- Checking for completeness and correctness in prescriptions for common interactions, incompatibilities and availability
- Referring questionable orders or questions to supervisors
- Evaluating completed orders to ensure the integrity of the final product
- Providing information regarding availability, strength and composition of medications to physicians or pharmacists
- Delivering unit doses, sterile products, bulk drug and controlled drug orders
- Performing quality control checks on medications
Training:
Job training for a Pharmacy Specialist consists of nine weeks of Basic Training, where you’ll learn basic Soldiering skills, and 12 to 17 weeks of Advanced Individual Training, including practice in pharmaceutical tasks. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you learn are:
- Pharmacy laws and regulations
- Drug types and uses
- Mixing and dispensing drugs
Helpful Skills:
Helpful attributes include:
- An interest in mathematics, chemistry, biology, physiology and anatomy
- An ability to work using precise measurements and standards
- An ability to follow strict procedures and directions
Advanced Responsibilities:
Advanced level Pharmacy Specialists supervise and train the other Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level Pharmacy Specialist, you may be involved in:
- Preparing, controlling and issuing pharmaceutical products to include chemotherapeutics
- Evaluating sterile products and orders to include calculations, identification of drug interactions and drug compatibilities
- Maintaining pharmacy system database
