Studies & Degrees in Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care

Choose where you would like to study Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care:

Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care is the constant supervision, supply or support of the right medicine to the elderly. Geriatric means coming of age and pharmaceutical care is the reliable and responsible catering or serving of medicine. Disease curing, completely eliminating or lessening the symptoms, preventing the disease or slowing down the patient’s possible condition outcome are the main purposes of pharmaceutical care. While pharmaceutical care is for everybody, geriatric pharmaceutical care is specifically for the elderly.

Pharmaceutical care was first tested by pharmacists in their own community pharmacy. The Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand started a program in pharmaceutical care and then went on applying it all throughout the country in 1996. They tested 500 pharmacists more or less and even though they were very much qualified for this job because of the kind of education they went through, they found out that most of the pharmacists lacked skills especially in thorough interpretation of a patients’ medication. Pharmacists now have to undergo a series of training and educating before qualifying as a “clinical pharmacist” and then in the field of “pharmaceutical care” later on.

R. Tim Webster (born on Oct. 9, 1946 and died of cancer on July 6, 2003) who was also a Doctor of Science (or SCD) was the founder and executive director of American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (or ASCP). In 1969, after he earned his degree at Ohio State University (OSU) in pharmacy, he pursued and concentrated his entire career developing and advocating quality pharmaceutical care for the elderly. He is one of the first pharmacists who represented and was very dedicated in Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care.

Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care should be taken seriously before getting into the job. Because people coming of age gets more delicate in time, the drugs they take should be exact and precise. A “One drug fits all” does not work for elderly patients, as quoted on the “Why the Elderly Need Individualized Pharmaceutical Care” pharmacist’ guide handbook by David B. Nash, MD, MBA, Jennifer B. Koenig and Mary Lou Chatterton, PharmD. Books like this are very helpful because honestly, most of us make mistakes when it comes to the actuality of situation and like the book said, elderly needs individualized pharmaceutical care.

Omnicare is one of the biggest and leading pharmaceutical-care for the elderly. Their pharmacist serves more than 1.4 million residents in 47 states in US and Canada.

The average salary in Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care is $32,059. Salaries as always is based on education, skill and work experience.

Before you can venture and go further into pharmaceutical care for the elderly, you have to be educated first as a pharmacist and experienced in general pharmaceutical care.

Belmont University School of Pharmacy in Nashville, USA offers A Course Introducing the Principles of Pharmaceutical Care. University of Toronto prepares students in pharmaceutical care with direct learning to case basis situation examples. This teaching technique is very helpful in preparing students for the real future situations that they are going to face.