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Pharmacist
Prepares and dispenses medications, advises patients on drug interactions and usage.
Did you know?
Pharmacists used to be called apothecaries. London's Society of Apothecaries got its royal charter from King James I in 1617 and still exists today.
How subjects help
- Chemistry: Work out how a medicine will spread through the body and how often to give it.
- Biology: Explain to a patient how an antibiotic kills bacteria and why they should finish it.
- Mathematics: Check a prescription dose and measure out the right amount of liquid medicine for a child.
A famous name
Tu Youyou: Chinese pharmaceutical chemist who discovered the malaria drug artemisinin and won a 2015 Nobel Prize.
Try it yourself: Check a medicine label (a made-up one)
- Read the label. How much would an 8-year-old have?
- Someone had a dose at 8 in the morning. When is the earliest they could have the next one?
- A note says: "give a 5-year-old 5 ml". What is wrong with it?
- Why do you think labels change the amount by age?
Pharmacists and toxicologists check that every medicine and dose is right for the person, because the amount matters as much as the medicine.
Also try: Take your pulse like a nurse.
Known for it in
USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Switzerland