Play, Be, C: Pharmacist
Resources and activities themed around a STEM job, to build language and understanding around the world of work.
Overview
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.
Early Learning Goals links
- Mathematics: Number ELG
- Mathematics: Numerical patterns ELG
- Understanding the World ELG: Past and Present
- Understanding the World ELG: People, Culture and Communities
- Understanding the World ELG: The Natural World
- Expressive Arts and Design ELG: Creating with Materials
Characteristics of effective learning
Our EYFS 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
Taken from Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
© Crown copyright 2023 licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The Book
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.
Activities
These adult led activities and provocations will support the introduction of the pharmacist career to the children in your setting.
Making medicine water play provocation
Challenge children to mix and measure liquids to create medicines.
Repeating pill patterns provocation
Challenge children to repeat and extend pill patterns.
Counting and sorting pills provocation
Count out the different number of pills required for your pharmacy patients.
Making pills adult led activity
Create different shape and sized tablets for the pharmacy.
Making medicine adult led activity
Measure different amounts and colours of water to create medicine mixtures.
Pharmacy role play adult led activity
Become a pharmacist and fill out the prescriptions at a pharmacy.
STEM at home activities
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.
COMING SOON! Visit our Pharmacist Snakes and Ladders STEM at home page here.
Resources
You can download our pharmacist poster to use in your setting.
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.
