Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners

After earning their clinical doctor of pharmacy degree, graduates must complete at least one year of postgraduate residency training program in an acute care or ambulatory care setting and an internship under a licensed pharmacist.

Since CPPs work closely with other health care practitioners, they need strong teamwork, interpersonal, and communication skills. They also need to be excellent communicators (and listeners) and have top-notch analytical and problem-solving skills in order to work effectively with patients, assess their pharmaceutical needs, and educate them about how to use their medication and engage in health habits to improve their overall health. Other important traits include good organizational, time-management, and leadership skills; empathy; and computer skills (in order to use electronic health record systems to record and manage data).