Pharmacy
Traditionally, the most popular career choices for pharmacists have been in the community practice setting, the retail pharmacy, or the hospital setting. In recent years, the array of career options for pharmacists has expanded way beyond the traditional settings to include such settings as clinical research.
Clinical research organizations have realized that pharmacists who go through the Pharm.D. training have an expanded knowledge of chemicals and the development process, and how it interacts with the patient, which adds a tremendous benefit to clinical trials. Since the medications used in clinical research must be handled differently than commercially-available medications, preparation and dispensing of them must be carried out according to research protocols, assuring that patients receive the correct medications in the correct doses. Given that pharmacists have such a good understanding of the therapeutic effects of drugs and that of drug-drug interaction, they are perfectly suited for a job in clinical research.
What does a day in the life of a Clinical Pharmacist entail?
As a pharmacist in clinical research, you will play a variety of roles in the clinical research process, such as:
- Preparing and dispensing investigational medications and assuring, not only that patients receive accurate doses at proper times as defined by the research protocols, but that the correct drug is administered as well.
- Maintaining and updating the records involved with dispensing an investigational drug. These records must account for every dose of medication missing from the pharmacy and are necessary to determine if a patient was properly treated.
- Educating patients, physicians, and members of the study team about the medication and its proper use.
In addition to the clinical research role, a pharmacist position in research can take a variety of other forms, such as a regulatory manager at a contract research organization; a member of the Food and Drug Administration as an inspector to examine the clinical trial process; clinical research associates in late-phase clinical trials, traveling to sites to oversee compliance with clinical protocols and investigating adverse drug events and safety concerns; or an executive-level position in drug-development.
Why take a pharmacist position in Clinical Research?
With a career in the clinical research setting, you will be involved in the groundbreaking process that brings new medication from the laboratory to the familiar corner pharmacy. You will see new drugs, years before they come to market, as well as many more drugs that never make it that far. If you like being in on the cutting-edge drug development process, like to have a wide variety of projects to work on, and want experience in different pharmaceutical settings, then a pharmacist career in clinical research may be for you!
Contact us today to find out what positions we have available for pharmacists in clinical research!
|
