Hospitals deal with and treat a wide range of medical conditions each and every day. Therefore hospital pharmacies often carry a broader range of medicines to be dispensed, and the pharmacists who work in them may have additional or specialty training to deal with a certain type of illness or disease. If a hospital is known for treating cancer or HIV/AIDS, the pharmacy will likely carry all the known medications that are used to treat those illnesses. Pharmacists who chose to work in a hospital setting will gain more education and training after completing pharmacy school through a residency program similar to medical doctors. If they choose to specialize in one area, further education and residency may also be required.
Also known as a community pharmacy, they exist in both specialty retail settings and larger retail department stores. Pharmacists in retail settings will spend time with individuals advising them on how to take their medications, and in some cases they will also be responsible for the management of the pharmacy. Pharmacists in retail settings need to be able to deal with business matters as well as dispensing medications. Retail pharmacies are the place that most pharmacists choose to work upon completing pharmacy school.
The requirements vary from state to state, and are also contingent on the type of setting you wish to work in. However the baseline requirements are fairly common. According to the website of the American Pharmacists Association, "a pharmacist must have graduated from a school of pharmacy approved by the state board of pharmacy or accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE)." In addition successful completion of the North American Pharmacist License Examination is required, and most states also require you to complete the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination. There is also an 1,500-hour internship that is required to be completed prior to receiving a license.