Pharmacists vs. Registered Nurses
Choosing a career is something that I have been pondering since 6th grade. My choices have changed a lot since then. Most of the jobs I have looked into can relate to my interests in science and medicine. Two careers that really appealed to me were a pharmacist and a registered nurse (R.N.). While pharmacists and registered nurses share things in common such as caring for patients and the work environment, they differ in education requirements.
When communicating with and assisting patients, pharmacists and R.N.s both have to provide care to the patients that need it. A pharmacist is required to prepare the drug that is prescribed for patients. Occasionally pharmacists will go in with the patient and teach them how to use or take the medicine. They will also advise them about the side effects and reactions it will have with other foods or medications (Field …show more content…
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacists will generally work indoors at a hospital, retail pharmacy, or a clinic (“Pharmacists”). Retail pharmacies can be located in Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and most other chain retail stores. Pharmacists are up and moving around most of the day, and the same goes for registered nurses. R.N.s will mostly work in hospitals, but can also be found working in a nursing- home (“Registered Nurse” 195) . If I were to pursue the career of a pharmacist, I would have to be flexible with the work schedule. Pharmacists tend to work 40-50 hours a week, but they can work holidays, weekends, evenings, or nights (“Pharmacist”). R.N.s have more of a set schedule. They will usually work 8 hour shifts and 40 hour weeks. Some will work 12 hour shifts and 36 hour weeks (“How Many Hours Do Registered Nurses Work?”). I would enjoy the work environment of each career, but I would rather have the set work schedule of a registered nurse because it would fit better to my
Choosing a career is something that I have been pondering since 6th grade. My choices have changed a lot since then. Most of the jobs I have looked into can relate to my interests in science and medicine. Two careers that really appealed to me were a pharmacist and a registered nurse (R.N.). While pharmacists and registered nurses share things in common such as caring for patients and the work environment, they differ in education requirements.
When communicating with and assisting patients, pharmacists and R.N.s both have to provide care to the patients that need it. A pharmacist is required to prepare the drug that is prescribed for patients. Occasionally pharmacists will go in with the patient and teach them how to use or take the medicine. They will also advise them about the side effects and reactions it will have with other foods or medications (Field …show more content…
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacists will generally work indoors at a hospital, retail pharmacy, or a clinic (“Pharmacists”). Retail pharmacies can be located in Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and most other chain retail stores. Pharmacists are up and moving around most of the day, and the same goes for registered nurses. R.N.s will mostly work in hospitals, but can also be found working in a nursing- home (“Registered Nurse” 195) . If I were to pursue the career of a pharmacist, I would have to be flexible with the work schedule. Pharmacists tend to work 40-50 hours a week, but they can work holidays, weekends, evenings, or nights (“Pharmacist”). R.N.s have more of a set schedule. They will usually work 8 hour shifts and 40 hour weeks. Some will work 12 hour shifts and 36 hour weeks (“How Many Hours Do Registered Nurses Work?”). I would enjoy the work environment of each career, but I would rather have the set work schedule of a registered nurse because it would fit better to my