Druggist

The druggist – the junior specialist who is engaged in preparation, a research and implementation of various medicines. The main workplace of the druggist – drugstores, pharmaceutical warehouses, the pharmaceutical companies, control and analytical institutions, research institutes, pharmaceutical factories and productions.

The druggist owns system knowledge in areas of pharmaceutical technology of medicines, pharmaceutical chemistry, the organization and economy of pharmacy, pharmacology and pharmacotherapy.

Profession the druggist – one of the most ancient professions known to mankind. For the first time the profession the druggist in her modern understanding is mentioned in the documents relating to the 13th century of our era. Nevertheless, the primitive person owing to the dependence on external factors of the world used various vegetable matters for pain relief and sufferings. The first medicines were known even long before emergence of writing. The accumulated experience and knowledge passed from father to son orally. In the Middle Ages pharmaceutical business was exposed to the greatest influence of magic, alchemy, astrology.

Fundamental obligations of the druggist

Fundamental obligations of the druggist vary depending on a workplace of the specialist. So, will treat fundamental obligations of the druggist working in a drugstore:

• Consultation of buyers about pharmacological properties of medicines and issue of medicines;
• Storage and calculation of goods;
• Holding actions for the organization of providing the population with medicines (formation of demand for medical supplies and products of medical prescription, definition of need of the population for medicines);
• Control of quality of the medicines delivered in a drugstore.

If a workplace of the druggist – the research institute or laboratory, then duties of the druggist consist in the following:

• Development of new medicines and improvement of already known medicines;
• Preparation of medicines;
• Work on technology of preparation of medicines.

It should be noted that selection of drugs for patients does not belong to duties of the druggist. The druggist working with clients has the right to advise buyers about properties of drugs, contraindications and possible side effects, based on the recipe of the doctor. The druggist can also select analogs of the registered drugs that will have only recommendatory character.

Personal qualities of the druggist

The druggist – the specialist who is on the periphery of medicine, pharmaceutics and commerce.

The main qualities and abilities which the specialist has to have, are defined by specifics of a workplace of the druggist. The profession of the druggist demands not only the high level of special knowledge and skills, but also high moral qualities of the person.

The profession the druggist assumes existence at the person of the following personal qualities and abilities:

• Attentiveness, concentration, accuracy;
• Tolerance, responsiveness;
• Concentration, high degree of responsibility, self-checking;
• Long-term and figurative memory;
• Tactile and motive memory;
• Analytical skills;
• Keen sense of smell and flavoring feelings;

For a profession the druggist the following qualities are considered as inadmissible:

• Negligence, carelessness;
• Roughness, irritability;
• Indifference to people.

The druggist and the pharmacist – in what a difference?

Many mistakenly believe that the druggist and the pharmacist – two similar concepts. The difference of two professions consists in qualification of specialists. So, the pharmacist – the specialist of the top skills that grants to him the right for conducting independent pharmaceutical activity, and also for management of a drugstore. The pharmacist has to have the higher pharmaceutical education while the druggist – an average special.

Receiving profession of the druggist and qualification of specialists

Training of junior specialists as a druggist is made in medical schools and pharmaceutical colleges.

Qualification categories are appropriated to druggists on the basis of the acquired theoretical and practical knowledge and experience in the following sequence:

• The second category is appropriated to druggists with secondary vocational education and length of service not less than five years.
• The first category is appropriated to druggists with secondary vocational education and experience not less than seven years.
• The highest category is appropriated to druggists with experience in this direction not less than 10 years.