<p>I had a question i couldent find a answer to. are Pharmacists actual doctors. asin you refer to them as Dr. *. I was reading up and the PharmD degree days it is a doctor.</p>
<p>some clarification would be great.</p>
<p>No, pharmacists are not medical doctors if this is what you meant by "actual doctors", but they are addressed as "Dr. Smith". In real life, they only use "Doctor" in official publications, correspondence or colleges. In the working world as I know it, coworkers usually address PharmDs by their first name.</p>
<p>I've never heard of calling pharmacists by "doctor", at least at the pharmacy I always used. Back when I was picking up scripts at least once a week for my mom I was on a first name basis with my local pharmacists. It may be different for professional publications, but realistically I don't think many would use the title.</p>
<p>Pharmacists do go through 8 years of college though. I'm sure they have some form of a degree which calls them doctor.</p>
<p>Doctors of Pharmacy do not usually do routine dispensing. They are employed as clinical specialists in hospitals, or perhaps to research for pharmaceutical companies.</p>
<p>PS - If your local retail pharmacist was a PharmD, it would be foolish for him to distance himself from his customers with a pretentious title.</p>
<p>dont you have to have a pharm d to distribute the meds.</p>
<p>No, usually pharmacy technicians distribute the meds in a regular pharmacy. People can become pharmacy tecnicians with maybe 2 years of school, it's not as esteemed as having an actual pharm d degree. Those wih PharmDs usually are managers of the pharmacy and don't have to do that stuff, unless they want to.</p>
<p>Do pharmacists get a PHD?
If so, they might be addressed as "Doctor" just as a physicist/chemist etc. who holds a PHD in their field may technically be addressed as "Doctor," even though this title is rare for them on a day to day basis...</p>
<p>Pharmacy technicians are NOT allowed to dispense pharmaceuticals--every state requires that they work under the supervision of a pharmacist (who, while they are a doctor, is not normally addressed as "doctor"). While the technician does normally do most of the work, they are not the person who actually dispenses the medication.</p>
<p>In many states, pharmacy technicians are not required to have any training at all (other than what they learn on the job). Other states require them to be certified by passing a state regulated by that state's board of pharmacy; however, the certification process is akin to going to taking one class at a vocational school--not two years of college.</p>
<p>The pharmacists' role in a pharmacy depends primarily on the size of the store--if you work in a large store, you are most likely working with a second pharmacist and a several technicians, in which case you will spend most of your time inputting prescriptions, consulting with patients, taking doctors' calls and checking the medications before they are dispensed. If you work in a small store, however, you may also be in charge of the register, filling prescriptions, etc. in addition to those duties.</p>
<p>I've worked in a pharmacy for the last two years, and the above poster is right, techs don't dispense meds by themselves. They always have to be working under and checked by an actual pharmacist. I've never seen my pharmacist(s) ever use Dr. Even on his official name tag for official business it says Mr. Maybe that is just personal preference.</p>