Every year, doctors write more than 3 billion prescriptions for everything from cough medicine to chemotherapy. Every one of those little pieces of paper eventually ends up in the hands of a pharmacist.

Pharmacists play a critical role in the health care system, because they make sure patients receive the right medication and understand how and when to take it so the medication works properly.

Before they fill any prescription, pharmacists:

• Review the patient’s medical record and list of current medications to prevent allergic reactions or harmful drug interactions
• Inform patients about correct dosage and possible side effects
• Answer patients questions about their medications
• Recommend lower cost medications that will have the same health benefits
• Check insurance coverage to make sure medication costs are covered

“The pharmacist is no longer simply a dispenser of drugs, and the pharmacy itself has become a health care center,” said Dr, John Gans, CEO and Executive Vice President of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

Many more pharmacists are needed to meet increasing demand. According to the Pharmacy Manpower Project, hospitals and pharmacy departments will have to hire 157,000 new pharmacists by 2020. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 32% growth in job prospects for pharmacy technicians, who work alongside pharmacists, taking prescriptions from customers, handling payment and managing paperwork.

Behind the scenes, pharmaceutical scientists work in laboratories, testing and improving existing drugs and inventing new ones. The cure for cancer will most likely be found – not by a doctor, but by a pharmaceutical scientist.

Learn more about careers in pharmacy.