National Pharmacist Day Date in the current year: January 12, 2024

A lot of people think that a pharmacist is a person in a white coat who works behind a counter, dispensing pills to patients. In fact, in a lot of pharmacies this is what pharmacy techs do so that pharmacists can focus on other tasks that require their professional expertise. Pharmacists are involved in all aspects of patient care and often serve as primary care providers, instructing patients on the proper use and possible adverse effects of medications.

A pharmacist is a trained and highly skilled professional whose area of expertise includes the preparation, properties, effects and proper use of medical drugs. Most pharmacists practice their profession in drugstores; they are known as community pharmacists, retail pharmacists, or first-line pharmacists.

However, pharmacists can work in other professional settings: hospitals and outpatient clinics, academia, research, industry, and even government and military. Pharmacists are indispensable healthcare practitioners who play an important role in public health; their work requires knowledge and skills they acquire through many years of education.

To work as a pharmacist in the United States, one must acquire a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and pass two exams to get a license. This means getting a relevant bachelor’s degree first and then applying to a pharmacy school and completing its four-year program. Many pharmacy school graduates also complete a 1–2 year residency, but some choose to enter the workforce right after graduating.

The origins of National Pharmacist Day are unclear, but the holiday has been mentioned in a press release by the United States Census Bureau, so it is definitely legitimate. You can celebrate it by learning more about the role of pharmacists in healthcare, thanking the pharmacists you know for their hard work, and posting about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalPharmacistDay and #PharmacistDay to show pharmacists some love and encourage others to do the same.

If you’re a pharmacist, you can celebrate National Pharmacist Day by participating in #APharmacistIs campaign. It was launched in 2017 by Pharmacy Times and Special Pharmacy Times to raise awareness about the work pharmacists do to improve the lives of their patients. Share a photo of yourself doing something you love on social media with the hashtag #APharmacistIs to show that a pharmacist is so much more than a person behind the counter.

Pharmacy technicians – pharmacists’ right hand men and women – also have a professional holiday. National Pharmacy Technician Day is celebrated annually on the third Tuesday of October. In addition, pharmacists and pharmacy techs around the globe celebrate World Pharmacists Day on September 25; it was established by the International Pharmaceutical Federation to commemorate its founding anniversary.