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Pharmacy

Pharmacy is the profession of dispensing medication. This is distinct from
pharmacology, the study and production of the medications themselves. In
most jurisdictions, pharmacists are regulated separately from physicians
hence the separate profession. In other jurisdictions, the doctor is allowed
to dispense drugs themselves and the practice of pharmacy is integrated with
that of the physician. Where so regulated, only pharmacists may dispense
certain pharmaceuticals, typically narcotics and antibiotics.

A pharmacy (known also as a chemist's or in American English a drugstore)
is also a place where pharmacists (chemists) dispense medications. Many
retailers (including grocery stores and mass merchanidizers) now include a
pharmacy as department of their store.

Pharmacies are also located within hospitals and nursing homes and function
as a department of these larger organizations. Such pharmacies are known
within the pharmacy industry as "hospital pharmacies" to distinguish from
"retail pharmacies". Pharmacists in hospital pharmacies often have more
complex medications whereas pharmacists in retail pharmacies often have more
complex business and customer relations issues. In medical buildings where
physicians and other medical professionals congregate, a small retail
pharmacy may be present as well for the convenience of patients. Such a
"medical pharmacy" is legally distinct from the other medical professionals,
unlike the pharmacies integrated into hospitals. A medical pharmacy is in
fact a retail pharmacy.

The icon most commonly associated with the practise of pharmacy is the
mortar and pestle. Apothecary is an older term used for pharmacy and
pharmacists.

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