SMCS157,
I'm an MO, not a PharmO. But I work with PharmO's from time to time. If working in a Clinic Coy, PharmO's are pretty much like civilian pharmacists - dispensing medications (doing appropriate checks for indication, dose, allergies, interactions, checking into formulary vs. special auth status), giving patient counseling information, and occasionally (and usually justifiably) giving MO's / NP's / PA's a friendly slap on the wrist if the Rx is somehow inappropriate / incorrect.
In a Med Coy / Field Ex / Op ... above duties may be only 25 - 50 % of what they actually do. Another big chunk is set aside for inventory / FMed ... much like managing a warehouse of drugs and medical supplies, negotiating transport of same (with concerns for refrigeration, legality / security (e.g. controlled substances), general stock maintenance (expiry, re-orders), etc. Think wandering around with a clipboard and a pencil behind your ear...
And like most officers, PharmO's are fair game for random "secondary duties" that might range from SportsO to TrainingO to whatever PseudoO designation the CO wants to fabricate.
The above is an MO's point of view of what PharmO's do. I apologize for any inaccuracies, but I believe the gist is correct.
Interestingly, MO's are generally "spared" most of the secondary duties (at least until they end up on somebody's fecal matter list). I think this is because there is usually no shortage of clinical duties to attend to, and there is a sense that they should be doing patient care as much as possible to "justify" their wages ... which are sometimes viewed as exorbitant by GSO's, despite that fact that most MO's knowingly enter the CF out of interest / call to serve and accept a significant pay CUT relative to what they would be paid civvy-side.
That's all I've got. Maybe a PharmO is lurking nearby that could provide a more authoritative / informative answer.
Good luck, either way.
