Overview & Job Duties

Pharmacists dispense prescription medications to patients and offer expertise in the safe use of prescriptions. They also may conduct health and wellness screenings, provide immunizations, oversee the medications given to patients, and provide advice on healthy lifestyles. According to the Department of Labors Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), typical job duties include: filling prescriptions, verifying instructions from physicians on the proper amounts of medication to give to patients; checking whether prescriptions will interact negatively with other drugs that a patient is taking or any medical conditions the patient has; instructing patients on how and when to take a prescribed medicine and inform them about potential side effects from taking the medicine; giving flu shots and, in most states, other vaccinations; advising patients about general health topics, such as diet, exercise, and managing stress, and on other issues, such as what equipment or supplies would be best to treat a health problem; completing insurance forms and working with insurance companies to ensure that patients get the medicines they need; overseeing the work of pharmacy technicians and pharmacists in training (interns); keeping records and doing other administrative tasks; and teaching other healthcare practitioners about proper medication therapies for patients.

Requirements

To qualify for TN status as a pharmacist, an applicant must possess one of the following:

  • Bachelors (Baccalaureate) or Licenciatura degree; or
  • State/provincial license.

Please note: a qualifying degree must be in the same field or a closely related field. Adjudicating officers are instructed to use good judgment in determining whether a degree in an allied field is appropriate.

Common Issues

Individuals may run into issues at the border when applying for TN status as a Pharmacist if the applicant does not possess the requisite state license. In the U.S. specific licensing requirements must be met in order for an individual serve as a pharmacists. For TN purposes, however, state licensing requirements do not need to be met prior to obtaining TN status. For example, this means that an individual does not need to obtain his or her New York pharmacist license prior to securing TN status. He or she may be admitted as a TN then obtain the requisite state license.