Median Salary $126,120 Unemployment Rate 1.6% Number of Jobs -100

The white-coated professionals at your neighborhood drug store do a lot more than just fill prescriptions. Pharmacists do indeed dispense medicines, but first they check for any possible interactions with other medicines or medical conditions. They also instruct patients on how to take the medicines and will inform them about what to do if certain side effects arise. A pharmacist will also keep meticulous records, coordinate with insurance companies, supervise pharmacy technicians and keep up-to-date with continuing education courses.



"Pharmacists are becoming a more integral part of the health care team," says Heather Free, a pharmacist working in the District of Columbia. She says that pharmacists are doing more to support doctors and clinicians, for example, by giving patients immunizations and making sure that all of a patient's doctors are informed about the diverse medicines that have been prescribed. Some pharmacists are also getting involved in adherence monitoring (why it's hard for patients to take their meds) and medication therapy management, which seeks to optimize what drugs do for a patient's overall well-being.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 0.0 percent employment growth for pharmacists between 2018 and 2028. In that period, an estimated 100 jobs will be lost.