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Pharmacists are healthcare professionals with specialized education and training who play a variety of roles to ensure optimal health outcomes for their patients through quality use of medicines. Pharmacists can also be small business owners, owning the pharmacy in which they practice. Since pharmacists know in detail the mechanism of action of a particular drug and its metabolism and physiological effects in the human body, they play an important role in optimizing drug treatment for an individual.
Pharmacists are represented internationally by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). They are represented at the national level by professional bodies such as Royal Pharmaceutical Society of UK, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPHA), Indian Pharmacists Association (IPA), Pakistan Pharmacists Association (PPA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS).
In some cases, the representative body is also the registering body, which is responsible for the regulation and ethics of the profession.
In the United States, pharmacy practice specialties recognized by the Pharmacy Specialty Board include: cardiovascular, infectious disease, oncology, pharmacotherapy, nuclear, nutrition, and psychiatry. The Commission on Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy certifies pharmacists in the practice of geriatric pharmacy. The American Board of Applied Toxicology certifies pharmacists and other medical professionals in applied toxicology.
