Nutrition Support Pharmacist |
Career OverviewThe role of a nutrition support pharmacist is to provide better and more complete nutritional care to patients with a variety of long and short-term health problems and concerns. A nutrition support pharmacist may work with individuals with eating disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, or even with pregnant women that are having difficulty with obtaining proper nutrition through their pregnancy.
The nutrition support pharmacist works on developing and modifying nutritional supplements including vitamins and herbal products to customize drug or nutritional therapies for each patient. The nutrition support pharmacist works within a team of professionals to help determine, monitor and enhance the patients overall nutritional status.
Often nutrition support pharmacists work with patients before and after treatment, especially in the case of those undergoing long term medical treatments for conditions that are chronic or terminal. The nutrition support pharmacist may also provide support or information for groups or individuals and their families around proper nutritional supplements for those with diabetes, colon disease or eating disorders.
A nutrition support pharmacist must be willing and able to work with people of all ages and abilities. They should have excellent communication skills and be able to clearly outline the need for nutritional support both in oral and written form.
A nutrition support pharmacist may work very closely with a Dietician or Nutritionalist in hospitals and healthcare facilities that work with patients on restricted or carefully monitored or controlled diets.
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Career RequirementsA nutrition support pharmacist must be a licensed pharmacist and may hold either a Doctor in Pharmacy or a Bachelor in Science with the required additional course and residency if applicable. In addition the nutrition support pharmacist should have a strong nutritional background with addition classes in biochemistry or related classes.
The Board of Pharmaceutical Specialities has recognized the field of nutrition support pharmacy for over 10 years. Changes to the responsibilities of a nutrition support pharmacist within the board have lead to slightly decreasing numbers of recognized nutrition support pharmacists in the United States.
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Job OutlookAccording to the United States Department of Labor the demand for all types of pharmacists will continue to increase at a higher than average level at least until the year 2014. While the demand for hospital or clinical types of pharmacists such as nutrition support pharmacists is not expected to have as dramatic of an increase as non-hospital based staff this trend will still be reflected in the demand for nutrition support pharmacists.
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Career TrackA nutrition support pharmacist may choose to enter any other field of pharmacy including supervisory and management roles provided they meet all requirements. Many nutrition support pharmacists choose to return to teaching while still others move into self-owned businesses providing nutritional support privately.
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CompensationThe average salary for a nutrition support pharmacist ranges between $80,000 and $89,000 depending on the area of practice and the years of experience. Those nutrition support pharmacists that work as consultants or have private businesses have a higher yearly salary often exceeding $100,000.
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