Outpatient Pharmacy : A Diverse Clinical Practice

My interest in the PGY1 Residency Program at Kaiser Permanente Orange County has been sparked by my attraction to the field of hospital pharmacy. More specifically, I am interested in an inpatient hospital pharmacy experience that the Kaiser Permanente provides. During summer 2017, I was an intern pharmacist at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, and I learned a lot about the pharmacist’s role in a hospital setting. After completing that rotation, I hoped I could learn more about the pharmacist’s role in a hospital setting. The reason I am more interested in residency program at Kaiser Permanente is many different kinds of experiences that Kaiser provides, such as Ambulatory Care, and Drug Use Management.

The contribution of pharmacists in a clinical setting and community pharmacy is significant that the workforce benefit from. When the workforce understands their medications and complies with the prescribed treatment plans the work center becomes healthy and the potential of increased productivity becomes a realistic and profitable proposition for the organization. When the workforce takes advantage of the healthcare services the pharmacists provide in a community and clinical pharmacies productivity and profit are at high potential reality.

During the two and a half years of my pharmacy journey, I have been thinking what can a pharmacist do within the healthcare interprofessional team to better help the patients in order to achieve the best health outcome. I work in a clinic as well as inpatient pharmacy, additionally, I had my rotations at CVS and Regions Hospital. all these experiences shape my version of the pharmacists at different settings. Therefore, in various pharmacy settings, pharmacists can work differently with the whole healthcare team. The recent PED-Rx events inspired me how important pharmacists can play roles in when working in a team.

I have spent my time as a student pharmacist learning about opportunities within clinical pharmacy and making certain that I was equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. In my pursuit, I became an active member of pharmaceutical organizations, held multiple leadership positions, attended clinical conferences, established research projects, participated in community service events, and other initiatives. I excelled academically, which was manifested in not just a high academic standard but also in tutoring fellow classmates and arranging sessions with other pharmacy students to help them improve time management and study skills. I shadowed pharmacists and residents before my advanced pharmacy practice experiences commenced to discover which areas of clinical pharmacy I found intriguing. I have obtained valuable pharmacy practice experiences in five specialties thus far including inpatient internal medicine, long term acute care, geriatrics and telehealth, and primary care. Through these rotations, I built upon the knowledge I acquired from my didactic courses but also developed patient-centered approaches and strengthened my clinical skills. I enjoyed many aspects of my rotations, including contributing pharmacotherapy recommendations, providing patient education, attending rounds and interdisciplinary team meetings – all of which have solidified my desire

The demand for the medical services offered by pharmacists increases every year as the elderly population grows and the number of prescriptions increases to meet their needs. The United States Census Bureau recently found that 1 in 5 Americans will meet the age criteria necessary to be considered elderly. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores projects the growth of filled prescriptions in the United States from 4.1 billion in 2015 to 4.7 billion by 2021. Pharmacists perform a variety of tasks beyond just filling prescriptions, such as researching new drugs, working in hospitals, and writing patents. The high demand for pharmacists provides a wide array of career choices in both the private and public sectors.

Over the past century the practice of pharmacy has evolved from a field with few specialties typically focused on compounding and filling prescriptions to modern pharmacy practice which has many different specialties. Due to the many opportunities in the field of pharmacy one assignment I completed was the APhA Career Pathway Evaluation Program to see which specialties I hay have the most interest in based on a series of questions I answered. In the following paper, I will list and discuss these results, point out some of the positive and negative attributes to each career choice, and will make an assessment on which careers may be the best form me and some of the options I disagree with.

Before this experience, I have only been exposed to retail pharmacy. Compared to retail pharmacy, inpatient clinical pharmacy is a more “fast-paced” and constantly changing environment. Retail pharmacy seems to be a more calm and structured career, but in clinical pharmacy everyday can be extremely different from the previous. After experiencing both clinical pharmacy and retail pharmacy, I still believe that I will follow a career path toward retail pharmacy. I enjoy the structured work day of a retail pharmacist, and I am not to found of the intensity of clinical pharmacy.

My strongest impetus for the study of this major is pegged on the personal urge to improve the lives and health of those around me. I would only be able to serve the health of others when I am fully acquainted with the knowledge of pharmacy, which to me is one of the noblest professions. I am deeply concerned about the welfare of others. My experiences, especially as I visit hospitals form a significant part in influencing my choice to study pharmacy. At one point, I felt very bad when a pharmacist in a hospital I had visited was very indolent in serving a patient. All human beings would feel adored and valued when they are given appropriate attention in regard to their health. The health profession has a mission geared towards safeguarding people's health and that mission is perfectly in sync with my desires. I want to be exceptional, to do my best in caring for people, and attend to their interest to the best of my knowledge. I admire nourishing hope to desolate patients and always give them a reason to

My Butler University academic training and intern experience has positioned me to recognize and appreciate the essential role performed by the clinical pharmacist. Although sometimes transparent, it is the clinical pharmacist that is central to a patient’s ultimate successful recovery. This was evident during my clinical rotations, where I directly participated in the optimization of medication therapy to achieve patient-specific outcomes; it is for this reason I am impassioned and compelled to pursue a residency. As a PGY-1 resident, I plan to apply my clinical knowledge in the acute and ambulatory care settings to identify medication-related problems and make therapeutic recommendations in collaboration with other practitioners. Upon completion

Pharmacists work environment of pharmacists is usually in retail places, hospitals and research facilities. The most common retail places pharmacists work are CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. In Pennsylvania alone the average amount of annual openings is 400. In Pennsylvania alone, the employment number of “pharmacists is expected to grow by seventeen percent between 2008 and 2018” (“Outlook”). The employment number increase for pharmacists is higher than any other occupation. “The reason that pharmacist job prospects are high is because employers have problems attracting pharmacists because of the limited number of PharmD programs” (“Outlook”).

I am interested in the community pharmacy setting, and I currently work as a pharmacy intern at Fairview Hiawatha Pharmacy, which is a community pharmacy focused serving the neighborhood. Community pharmacists bring the value to patients and the healthcare system in the following two aspects. The first is that when patients have new prescriptions, community pharmacists would provide easy understanding consultation to them. In the pharmacy where I work at, patients are always willing to listen and learn about their new medications, pharmacists and interns are always trying to provide the best consultation with them. We often use teach-back techniques to ensure that the patients fully understand about the basic of their medications. By offering the consultation, we try to ensure the patients’ health outcomes and benefit from the medications at maximum level. The second is that when we can be the decision makers for switching generic medications based on patients’ need, insurance companies’ requirements and doctor’s preferences. In community pharmacy setting, we often

As I reflect on my experience of a pharmacy practice, I realize how much of my personality has changed in only few months. The experiences I gained during my first rotation at Walgreens were particularly rewarding, especially those gained while working as a team to achieve a common goal of a patient’s well-being. I did not have any previous experience in the pharmacy setting, therefore I was determined to take advantage of this opportunity to grow and develop skills that are vital to be a good pharmacist. During the rotation, I performed many activities that were assigned by the preceptor, learned new skills and competencies, identified my strengths and weaknesses, and made plans for continued development throughout the journey of pharmacy practice.

Today in the 21st century the roles of pharmacist have expanded tremendously. Before pharmacist had the role of solely dispensing drugs. Pharmacists were limited to only being regulatory or clinical pharmacist. Back then they were called medical purveyors who were much like today’s regulatory pharmacist and hospital pharmacist who are similar to hospital pharmacist. Now pharmacists carry many roles in healthcare. Pharmacist can play roles in public health, community, health systems, state, and federal government.

Besides, I completed my Bachelors in Pharmacy from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, and also hold an MBA degree, specialization in Healthcare services. Currently, I am working as a Clinical Pharmacist at Health City Cayman Islands, Cayman Islands. I previously worked as a Medical content writer in Medical affairs department. Ever since childhood, I have grown up and surrounded by people and thoughts pertaining to health care, because my father works for health care department. Over the years of education and work experience, my understanding about the potential of practicing pharmacy is mounting. These whole set of diverse experiences made me strong and sophisticated in dealing with people, and establishing the smart work

This year I changed my major from biology to chemistry. I realized that math is my thing, and even though I like science I excel more in math. Chemistry gives me the best of both worlds. I also finally made a firm decision on becoming a Pharmacist; with a little bit of research and personal insights, I have come to the conclusion that this career suits me very well. I am very interested in becoming a retail pharmacist, industrial pharmacist, or a hospital pharmacist. The common titles of a pharmacist are; clinical pharmacist, community pharmacist, dispensary department supervisor – hospital, druggist, drug information pharmacist, health care institution pharmacist, hospital druggist, hospital pharmacist, industrial pharmacist, pharmacist, pharmacist consultant, pharmacist – military, registered pharmacist, and retail pharmacist.