Pharmacists dispense medicines. This means they prepare and give medicines to people who have a prescription (or their adult if they are a child). Pharmacists can work in a pharmacy, hospital or GP practice. They can also give advice about prescriptions, how to use and store medicines, and the dangers of medicines. Some pharmacists also make and test new medicines.
Pharmacists are:
Creative when they make new medicines and when they prepare and make special medicines for patients.
Curious about what is wrong with their patients when they are unwell and about which medicines will be best to make them better.
Observant they need to read prescriptions carefully and make sure they give the correct amount of each medicine to their patients.
Includes statements from Development Matters (birth to age five) and the relevant ELGs.
Play, Be, C Units provide enabling environments with teaching and support from adults. Reflecting on the characteristics of effective teaching and learning, children will have opportunity to learn and develop by:
- Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’.
- Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements.
- Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things.
Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework: accessed November 2024. Available under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Our suggested book for this Unit is Topsy and Tim Go to the Doctor by Jean and Gareth Adamson, illustrated by Belinda Worsley.
You can find out more about the book at the publisher’s page, and the Google Books page will link you to retailers and local libraries.
We have designed these STEM-focused questions to use alongside the questioning you would usually use when reading a story.
These adult led activities and provocations will support the introduction of the pharmacist career to the children in your setting.
This is a link to a related STEM at home activity. This could be sent out for families to try at home, or run in school at a family session.
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Melanie Horan2025-03-11 12:52:522025-03-12 15:11:19The Pharmacist GameThis is a link to the instructions for a related family STEM story time activity. This is an opportunity to introduce STEM ideas and activities to parents, carers and other family members in a relaxed and enjoyable way.
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Melanie Horan2024-09-18 10:04:042025-03-12 16:03:43Pharmacist family story time
Pharmacists are scientists and clinicians who use their scientific knowledge to advise patients and make sure they receive the best possible care. Pharmacists work in many different settings, developing new medicines, supplying medicines, providing advice about medicines, and offering health services. They may work in an NHS or private hospital, at a GP practice, a university, a shop or a research facility.
Pharmacists are creative when they develop new medicines. Some pharmacists use compounding to create medicines. Compounding is the process of combining, mixing, or altering two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients to create compounded medication that is tailored for a particular person. Compounding might be used to prepare medicines for patients with allergies to common ingredients, or to prepare medicines that are in liquid form or with flavourings to improve the taste for children or patients with swallowing difficulties .
Pharmacists are curious about their patient’s symptoms so they can recommend the best medicine for particular conditions and diseases. They need to have sensitivity and understanding and excellent customer service skills. Some pharmacists are curious about research and development of new medicines and may run clinical trials. Some pharmacists will work on the regulation of medication. They may work in the pharmaceutical industry or at universities rather than directly with patients.
Pharmacists need to be observant when reading prescriptions, preparing medicines and giving advice about medication to patients in order to keep them safe. They need to be thorough, accurate and pay attention to detail. Pharmacists need to give their patients complicated technical medical information about their medication and ensure they take the correct doses.
You can download our pharmacist poster to use in your setting.
