How do I Become a Pharmacy Director?

Pharmacists help people by dispensing a doctor's prescribed pharmaceuticals and instructing the patient on how to best use this medicine. If you want to become a pharmacy director, you will need know how to oversee and manage an entire pharmacy department. You also will need a strong education and managerial skills to successfully do the many jobs required of a pharmacy manager. This job offers a great deal of flexibility because there are many types of places that utilize a pharmacy director.

Education is your foundation when you become a pharmacy director. You will not only need a bachelor's degree, usually in science or math, you also will need a Doctor of Pharmacy degree if you live in the United States or certain other countries. This will give you a basic understanding of the thousands of pharmaceuticals available and how to dispense them to patients. Most pharmacy director jobs require several years of work as a pharmacist before you are considered qualified for this position.

Personnel management will be one of your biggest responsibilities when you become a pharmacy director. You will oversee several pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants and pharmacists, ensuring that they perform their jobs accurately and work as a team. You also will need to be strong at logistical planning, because the director often handles all of the scheduling. You also will need to train new employees yourself or coordinate a training using other employees.

Another major responsibility when you become a pharmacy director is handling the various pills, inhalers, salves and more that your team gives to customers. You will be responsible for maintaining stock by ordering and tracking inventory. You also will need to monitor employees to make sure they are dispensing prescriptions properly. When new medications are created, it is your responsibility to learn about them and help your team understand them.

One of the most exciting aspects of this job is the variety of places you can work when you become a pharmacy director. Many drug stores, grocery stores and even some departments stores have pharmacies that are in need of directors. Many cities still have standalone pharmacies that dispense only drugs. Hospitals all have pharmacies, often quite large pharmacies, and they might be in need of pharmacy directors to manage these complex departments. These different options give you a lot of choices between clientèle, pace and salary in order to find a perfect match for your skills.