Thursday, January 12th is National Pharmacist Day! This day is set aside for us to honor and recognize pharmacists throughout the United States who have helped change and shape this great industry over the years.
These changes and industry growth are due in large part to some pharmaceutical pioneers:
One of the original pharmacy pioneers was an Irish immigrant named Christopher Marshall. He opened one of the first pharmacies in this country in Philadelphia, PA in 1729. The Marshall Apothecary remained opened for the next 96 years and certainly changed with the times. In the hands of Marshall’s daughter and first female pharmacist, Elizabeth Marshall, Marshall’s Apothecary eventually became what we would now call a ‘retail pharmacy.’ This family devoted almost an entire century of dedication to the pharmacy industry!
Another pharmacy pioneer was William Procter, Jr., who graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1837 and is widely known as the Father of American Pharmacy. Some of his many accomplishments include being a leading founder of the American Pharmaceutical Association, serving as Editor of the American Journal of Pharmacy for 22 years, and acted as Professor of Pharmacy for 20 years at his alma mater. These are just a few of the contributions he made to the pharmaceutical industry.
The pharmaceutical industry is constantly growing and changing, and consequently the role of the pharmacist has changed considerably. Pharmacists are no longer meant to simply prepare and dispense medications. Today pharmacists are taking a much more active role in patient care.
Guardian Pharmacy is a long-term care pharmacy, serving the residents of skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, behavioral centers and retirement communities. We are very proud of all the pharmacists that are members of our Guardian family throughout the country. They are constantly striving to learn more in this field to better serve our residents!
Guardian Pharmacy is now the 3rd largest LTC pharmacy provider in the nation. We pride ourselves in having some of the best and brightest pharmacists anywhere. Happy National Pharmacists Day to you all.
