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HospitalPharmacy

KyleyMoore

EnglishIIIHonors
Mr.Piatak
February27,2014

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KyleyMoore
Mr.Piatak
EnglishIIIHonorsD
February27,2014
HospitalPharmacy
Thereisacommonmisconceptionthatallpharmacistsjuststandatacounterdispensingand
countingpillsandenteringinprescriptions.Theyareactuallywellpaid,highlytrainedhealth
professionalsthatplayveryimportantrolesinpeoplesliveseveryday.Pharmaciststhatworkinhospital
settingshelpkeeppatientsalive.Hospitalpharmaciststypicallytreatpatientswhohavemore
complicatedconditionsthanthoseinanambulatorysetting.Theyserveasvaluablelinksbetween
doctorsandpatientsandtheirknowledgeiscriticaltothatperson'slifeandwellbeing.Theyprovide
informationonmedicationsneededtoensurepatientsgettakencareofcorrectlyandtheyworkwith
otherhealthcareprofessionalstocreatedrugtherapyplansforeachindividualpatient.Hospital
pharmacyremainsanexcellentcareerpathwithanamazingjoboutlook.Asscientificadvancesleadto
improveddrugs,andasanincreasingnumberofpeopleobtainprescriptiondrugcoverage,theneedfor
hospitalpharmacistswillcontinuetoexpand.Hospitalpharmacyactsasagreatoccupationthatnot
onlysavesliveseverydaybutisalsointerestingandexciting.Itoffersmanydifferentfieldsandendless
careeropportunitiesalongwithanexcellentincomeandmanybenefitsincludingalmosttotaljob
security.Thispaperwillfocusonthepromisingcareerofhospitalpharmacy,howtobecomeone,their
duties,responsibilities,benefits,andthehistoryofthejob.
Inordertobecomeahospitalpharmacist,onemustreceiveastateissuedlicensetowork
legally.Apersoncanstarttoprepareforapharmacycareerwhileinhighschoolbymaintainingagood

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GPA.Afterhighschool,onemustobtainaDoctorofPharmacyorPharmDdegreewhichrequiresfour
yearsofpostgraduatestudy.OnecanqualifyforaPharmDprogrambycompletinga2year
prepharmacyprogramora4yearbachelorsdegreeprogram(U.SBureauofLaborStatistics).Itmust
beaccreditedbytheAccreditationCouncilforPharmacyEducation.Thecompletedcoursework
includeschemistry,medicalethics,andpharmacology,whichistheeffectsofdrugsonthebody,soone
mustperformwellinclassessuchasbiologyandchemistrywhileinhighschool.Schoolsrequireseveral
prerequisitecourseslikeorganicchemistry,analyticalchemistry,anatomy,andphysiology(Cooper).
Thestudentmustalsobegivensupervisedexperienceandexposureintheworkfield.Thefirstyearof
theprogramfocusesonscienceandthentransitionstoamoreclinicalfocus.Afterfinishingtheprogram,
bothawrittenexamandalawexam,mustbetakentoobtainthelicense.Thestudentmustpassthe
NorthAmericanPharmacistLicensureExaminationandtheMultistatePharmacyJurisprudenceExam.
Thefirstexamcontainsbasicpharmacyknowledgeandskillswhilethesecondincludes
pharmacyrelatedstatelaws.Statesrequirepharmaciststorenewtheirlicenseeverycoupleofyears
(U.SBureauofLaborStatistics).
Afterpharmacyschool,somepeoplechoosetospecializeinaspecificareaofpharmacyby
enrollinginapharmacyresidency.Residencytrainingappliestheskillslearnedinpharmacyschoolto
reallifesituations.Somepeoplerefertohospitalpharmacistsasclinicalpharmacists.Somepeople
choosetobecomecertifiedinaspecializedareaofpharmacysuchashematology,cardiology,
HIV/AIDS,infectiousdisease,criticalcare,toxicology,painmanagement,psychiatry,pediatrics,
neonatalpharmacistsandmore.TheycanreceivethiscertificationfromtheBoardofPharmacy
Specialtiesbypassinganexamandpayingafee(U.SBureauofLaborStatistics).Apharmacy
residencycanbecompletedinonlyonetotwoyearsandimprovesapersonschanceofbecominga

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hospitalpharmacistbecausetheycanworkonthecertainfloorofthehospitalthattheyspecializein.
Afterlicensure,onecanbegantoapplyforapharmacistpositioninahospitaloftheirchoice.Ifoneis
willingtoputforththetimeandefforttocompletethestepsrequiredandiftheyareproficientinthe
profession,theywillmostlikelysucceedinbecomingahospitalpharmacist.
Manyschoolsofferexcellentpharmacyprogramsforstudents.TheSouthCarolinaCollegeof
PharmacyoffersagreatpharmacyprogramthatgivesstudentstheopportunitytoearnaPharmD/MBA
orPharmD/PhDdegree.TheSCCPisastatewideeducation,research,andserviceinstitutionthat
maximizesitsresourcesto:Educatepharmacystudentstobecomeleadersinmeetingthepharmacycare
needsofourcitizensandthepublicweserve,conductexceptionalandinnovativeresearchtoimprove
healthcare,guidepopulationleveldrugpolicy,andenhancepharmacyeducation(SCCollegeof
Pharmacy).Theschoolhasover120yearsexperienceeducatingpharmacistsandtheyofferexpanded
pharmacyeducationthroughoutthestate.TheSouthCarolinaCollegeofpharmacyhasbeenfully
accreditedbytheAccreditationCouncilforPharmacyEducation.Theyprovidenationalleadershipin
pharmacyeducation,andconductpioneeringresearchthatleadstoneworimprovedtreatmentsfor
commondiseases(SCCollegeofPharmacy).97percentoftheUniversityofSouthCarolinas
pharmacygraduatespasstheirlicensingboardexamsonthefirsttryand25percentofthegraduates
workinhospitals(sccp.sc.edu).Thedegreesprovidestudentswiththescientific,clinical,andmedical
knowledge,skills,andexperienceneededtobecomeasuccessfulhospitalpharmacist.
TheWingateUniversitySchoolofPharmacyalsooffersgreatpharmacyeducationalongwitha
prepharmacyprogramtopreparestudentsforthepharmacyschool.Theschoolhasbeenfully
accreditedandmeetsallguidelinesoftheAccreditationCouncilonPharmacyEducation.TheWingate
UniversityofPharmacyhasofferedthedoctoraldegree,ortheDoctorofPharmacyDegree,since2004

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(Wingate.edu).Theschoolprovidesastudentcenteredenvironmenttohelpstudentsobtaincritical
thinkingandproblemsolvingskillsnecessaryforthecareer.Thecollegeusesanintegratedcurriculum
wherepathophysiology,pharmacology,andtherapeuticsaretaughttogether.Thecurriculumalso
focusesonexperientiallearningoutsideoftheclassroom.Studentscompletealmost2100hoursof
practiceduringtheirfouryearsinWingatespharmacyschool.In2013,thegraduatesattheWingate
UniversityofPharmacyscoredhigherthanboththestateandnationalaverageonlicensingexams.All
facultymembersattheschoolhaveaterminaldoctoraldegree,thereforeprofessionalsteachallclasses
(WingateSchoolofPharmacy).TheWingateUniversitySchoolofPharmacytakesthestudents
educationseriouslyandfullypreparesstudentsforprofessionalsuccessinthefield.
Beingapharmacistrequiresmanyimportantskillsandqualities.Hospitalpharmacyinvolves
analyticalskillsandcommunicationskills.Analyticalskilldealswiththeabilitytosolvecomplex
problemsandmakethebestdecisioninsteadoftheeasiestdecisionbyanalyzingdataandusing
knowledgeandavailableinformation.Thisskillbecomesessentialwhenhospitalpharmacistsneedto
providesafemedicationsefficiently.Pharmacistsuseanalyticalskillswhentheymustevaluateapatient's
needstochoosethemostappropriatemedicationforthem.Communicationskillsalongwithstrong
interpersonalskillsarealsocrucialtothiscareerbecausehospitalpharmacistsconstantlyinteractwith
patients.Theymustofferadvice,explainmedications,anddiscusssideeffects.Inordertodothis,they
needtobeabletospeakclearlytopatientsanddoctors.Hospitalpharmacyoftenrequirestheuseof
computerssothepharmacistmusthaveaclearunderstandingofhowtouseandoperatetechnologyor
anyelectronichealthrecordsystemthehospitalcarries.Thecareerhasevolvedovertimeandnow
reliessolelyontechnology(Cooper).Hospitalpharmacistsworkwithavarietyofhealthcarestaff,
thereforeteamworkingplaysanimportantroleinthefield.Theymustalsobeabletopayattentionto

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detailbecauseallmedicinesneedtobeaccurateandexactsothepatientslifeisnotputatriskduetoan
improperuseofmedication.Ahospitalpharmacistmustactassertivelytopreventpanic.Inordertobe
asuccessfulhospitalpharmacist,onemusthaveplentyofknowledgeofchemistryandanatomytobetter
understandtheinteractionsofdrugswiththehumanbody.Theyalsomustbeopentoadditionaltraining
inthefieldandmustcontinuouslykeepupwithnewresearchtoupdateandfurthertheirknowledgeso
thatoptimumhealthcareisprovidedtoallpatients.
Hospitalpharmacistshavemanyimportantdutiesandresponsibilitiesneededforkeeping
patientshealthywhileinthehospital.Theydispenseprescriptionsandprovideinformationtodoctors
aboutcertainmedicinesandtheirsideeffects.Thepharmacistmustensurethatthemedicinesbeing
giventothepatientmaintainssafetyforthatindividual(BureauofLaborStatistics).Theymustprovide
advicetothedoctoronthedosageofmedicinesandthebestformofmedicationwhetherthatbetablet,
injection,ointmentoraninhaler.Theyalsomusteducatepatientsinallaspectsoftheirmedicinesmaking
surethepatientunderstandstheinstructionsandinformationgiven.Hospitalpharmacistsareinchargeof
notonlycounselingpatientsaboutpropermedicationusebutalsotheirfamilies.Theyareresponsiblefor
thepurchase,manufactureandtestingofallmedicinesusedinahospital.Inmosthospitals,pharmacists
communicateandvisitpatientsbyroundingwithphysiciansandnurses,whileinotherhospitals,the
pharmacistsworkwithotherhealthcareprovidersratherthandirectlywiththepatient.Hospital
pharmacistshavevariousotherdutiesandtaskstocompletedailysuchasconductingsomemedical
tests.Theyensuremedicinesarestoredappropriatelyandtheymustsupervisetheworkofless
experiencedstaffandsetupandsuperviseclinicaltrials(Prospects).
Monitoringdruginteractionsservesasthemostimportantjobforahospitalpharmacist.
Pharmacistsmustcheckwithpatientstofindoutwhatothermedicationstheyaretaking.Somedrugs

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cannotbetakentogetherbecausetheycausenegativereactions.Othertimesonedrugmayaffectthe
performanceofanothermedication.Itmayincreaseordecreaseitseffectiveness.Ifthepharmacist
discoversapotentialdruginteraction,hemustdiscusswiththedoctoraboutchangingtheprescriptionor
itsdosage.Whenapatientsuffersanegativereactionordiesfromaprescriptiondrugerror,the
pharmacistmaybeheldliableinamalpracticesuit.Thispreventsapatientfromsufferingundueharm
duetothecarelessnessorirresponsibilityofapharmacist.Commondrugerrorsandmistakesinclude
misreadingprescriptions,failingtoacknowledgeapatientsdrugallergies,ordistributinganincorrect
drugwithasimilarname.Theycouldalsoberesponsiblefortheincorrectdoseofamedicationor
dispensingdrugsthatcausenegativeinteractions.Pharmacistnegligenceiscommoninteachingand
counselingthepatientorlackofsupervision.Oneofapharmacist'sdutiesincludesmakingsureall
aspectsofeachprescriptionremaincorrectandfailuretodosocanbeconsideredpharmacy
malpractice.Inmanycases,pharmacistsarecoveredbythepharmacy'sliabilityinsurance.Pharmacists
maychoosetogetadditionalinsurancetocoverothersituations.Eveniftheaccidentwasnotcausedby
error,pharmacistsmuststillbepreparedtodefendthemselvesagainstmalpracticesuits(Malone).
Anotherresponsibilityforahospitalpharmacististokeepuptodatewith,andcontributeto,research
anddevelopment.Pharmacistsmuststayontopofemergingmedicationsandtherapiesbecausenew
drugsareconstantlybeingdeveloped.Theymustknowhowtheyworkinthehumanbodyandhow
theyinteractwithotherdrugsandfood.Researchanddevelopmentisreferredtoasthebackboneof
thepharmaceuticalindustry.Theymustusetheirscientificknowledgetohelpdevelopnewmedications,
testsubstances,lookoverproducts,andcreatenewdosageforms.Hospitalpharmacistsworkwith
otherscientiststodevelopnewandimprovedmedicationstosavethelivesofpatientseveryday.
Thecareerofhospitalpharmacydidnotbeginuntilthe1920s.Priortothis,hospitalpharmacy

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wasnotastrongcomponentoftheoccupation.Pharmacistswerenotimportantinhealthcareespecially
inhospitals.By1936,hospitalpharmacyemergedintheAmericanPharmaceuticalAssociation.The
professionbegantohaveavoiceinanationalorganization.In1942,hospitalpharmacistsestablished
theAmericanSocietyofHospitalPharmacistsandin1947,boththeAmericanPharmaceutical
AssociationandtheAmericanSocietyofHospitalPharmacistsjointlyestablishedahospitalpharmacy
divisionwithpermanentstaffing(Zellmer).Overthepast50years,manychangeshaveoccurred
throughoutthecareer.Amajorstudyofhospitalpharmacywasconductedbetween1957and1960,
theAuditofPharmaceuticalServicesinHospitals,underthedirectionofDonaldE.Franckeand
supportedbyafederalgrant(Zellmer).Theresultsshowedthathospitalpharmacynowplaysamajor
roleinpatientsafety.Hospitalshaverecognizedthatpharmacistsmustbeincontrolofthemedications
andtheirdistributions.TheresultsfromthestudyalsorevealedthatHospitalpharmacydepartments
haveadoptedabigroleinpromotingrationaldrugtherapy.Hospitalpharmacistshaverealizedtheir
missionishelpingpatientsgetthebestoutoftheirmedications.KevinCooper,asolidorgantransplant
pharmacist,saysthatinhis16yearsofpractice,hehasseentheprofessionshiftfrombeing
predominantlyaboutdispensingmedicationtobeingmoreaboutprovidingpharmaceuticalcare
(Cooper).Multiplereasonscontributetowhyhospitalpharmacyhaschangedsotremendously.Several
indirectanddirectfactorshelptoexplainthistransformation.Therehasbeenashiftofresourcesinto
healthcareandhospitalcare.Therehasalsobeenquiteanexpansionofclinicalresearchandnewly
developeddrugs.Anotherfactorthathelpsexplainthechangeinthecareeristhegrowinginterestin
improvingthequalityofhealthcareservices.Drugtherapyhasalsobecomemorecomplexandupto
dateanditisnowaccompaniedbyadvancedpharmaceuticalproductmarketing(Zellmer).
Hospitalpharmacydiffersconsiderablyfromretailpharmacy.In2012,43percentof

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pharmacistsworkedinpharmaciesanddrugstoresasretailorcommunitypharmacistsand23percent
workedinhospitalswhiletheother34percentworkedingrocerystoresordepartmentstores(U.S
BureauofLaborStatistics).Retailpharmacytendstobeextremelymonotonousorrepetitivewhile
hospitalpharmacistshaveavarietyofdailyactivitiesinamoreexcitinganddynamicenvironment.Retail
pharmacistsworkatdrugstoresandtheirmaindutiesincludefillingdoctorsdrugprescriptionsand
answeringanyquestionsretailclientelemayhave.Theyfilloutpaperwork,dispensemedicinesoverthe
counter,andsometimesprovideprimarycareservicessuchasgivingflushots(U.SBureauofLabor
Statistics).Unlikeretailpharmacists,hospitalpharmacistsconsultwithdoctorstodecidetheappropriate
medicationandmostmakepatientroundswheretheygetinvolvedclinicallywithpatients.Hospital
pharmacistshavetheopportunitytoworkcloselywithphysiciansandandareabletoworkwitha
specialty.Theyalsodealwithdifferentmedicinesthanretailpharmacists.Hospitalpharmacistshandle
hardtoobtaindrugsusedbypatientsthatarehospitalizedsuchaschemotherapyandinjectable
medications.Inthehospitalsetting,pharmacistsdonotconsultwiththegeneralpublicsotheyhearless
complainingwhileretailpharmacistsmustdealwiththehassleofpeoplewhocomplainaboutpricesand
refills.Thebiggestdifferencebetweenthetwofieldswouldbethesettings.Hospitalpharmacistswork
inhospitalsettingswheretheymovearoundalldaymakingroundswithdoctorswhereasretail
pharmacistsstandbehindacounteralmostlikeacashier.
Hospitalpharmacistshavenumerousamountsofbenefitsthatcomewiththeirjobincluding
trainingflexibility,agreatjoboutlook,andanoutstandingsalary.Hospitalpharmacistsmakearoundan
averageof$114,000ayear(U.SBureauofLaborStatistics).Thecareerprovideshealthinsurance,
retirementplans,andpaidtimeoff.Theyarenotoncalllikeotherswhoworkinthehospitalsofamily
andhomelifeareseparatefromworklife.Thecareeralsoallowsemployeestoeasilyworkparttime

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andtheycanmakethesameamountofmoneysomeotherprofessionsmakefulltime.Hospital
pharmacistsworkinapleasant,organized,andsanitaryenvironment.Theyenjoyflexibleschedulesand
socialinteraction.Parentalleavetendstobeanotherbenefitofferedtoemployees.Hospitalpharmacy
hasastronglabormarketbecausethehealthcareindustrycontinuestogrow(Pharmacytech.com).The
jobexpectstogrow14percentfrom2012to2022(BureauofLaborStatistics).Thecountryhasbeen
experiencingashortageofpharmacistssojobsecurityishigh.Higherratesofchronicdiseasesand
populationgrowthwillleadtoincreaseddemandforthemedicationsthathospitalpharmacistsprovide.
Thediversityofrolesforpharmacistsarealsolikelytocontinuetoincreasethereforethecareeracquires
abrightfuture(Zellmer).
Overall,hospitalpharmacyremainsanexcellentandskillfuloccupationthatsavesthelivesof
patientseverydayeventhoughtheydonotphysicallytakecareofthepatient.Becomingahospital
pharmacistrequiresdeterminationandintelligenceandattimescanbestressfulbutwithhardwork,
manypeoplepursuethecareerandbecomesuccessful.Althoughthejobentailsmanyresponsibilities,
mostpeopleenjoyitsendlessopportunitiesforcareergrowthandfantasticbenefits.Hospitalpharmacy
hasgrowntremendouslythroughouttheyearsandwillcontinuetodosoascurrentpharmacistsretire.
Theprofessionhasmuchroomforadvancementandwithtechnologyevolving,ourgenerationwillbeat
theforefrontofnewbreakthroughmedicines.Hospitalpharmacistshaveakeyroleintheplanningof
pharmaceuticaldistributionandtheyhaveanessentialroleinemergencypreparedness(Zellmer).Asthe
medicinesexpert,hospitalpharmacistsarenecessarytoeducateandofferspecialistadvicetodoctors
andpatientsonmedicinesthatcouldeithersaveorendsomeoneslifeandtokeephospitalsrunning
smoothly.

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Malone,Maureen."MajorDuties&ResponsibilitiesofBeingaPharmacist."Chron.DemandMedia.
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