Microbiology!

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So I'm gonna start pharmacy school in the fall and I REALLY like med micro. Almost became a microbiologist but decided against it. What can I do during pharmacy school to make myself better trained in ID? I've heard pharmacy internships are hard to come by around my school so I thought maybe I can start working part time in the clinical lab and get to know the bugs better. I'm also gonna take a med micro class this summer for fun Any suggestions from current pharmacy students or pharmacists? Thank you!

Get a job or volunteer in your school's ID lab.

Originally Posted by Jackie B

So I'm gonna start pharmacy school in the fall and I REALLY like med micro. Almost became a microbiologist but decided against it. What can I do during pharmacy school to make myself better trained in ID? I've heard pharmacy internships are hard to come by around my school so I thought maybe I can start working part time in the clinical lab and get to know the bugs better. I'm also gonna take a med micro class this summer for fun Any suggestions from current pharmacy students or pharmacists? Thank you!

Find a good hospital internship, one that doesn't just use you like a tech. I know it's easier said than done, but they are out there. Hospitals that have satellite pharmacies in the ICUs (MICU is especially heavy on ID) are good places to look. They are often staffed with clinical specialists + interns, lots of one on one learning time and less manual work. I loved it.

I have a different take. Get a job at a hospital as a tech and spend a lot of time mixing and preparing IVs in the compounding room. Then learn all the antibiotics...know the vials...learn the names...learn what its mixed in....how fast to infuse..learn what the vials look like...then by the time you get to pharmacology and therapeutics you will be a lot more familiar with them. Then you can really delve into therapeutics of it. Also spend some time with the purchaser and go ahead and do the purchasing some....you will get a sense of how much they cost. And always ask the pharmacists what its being used for....what you're treating.

Get a copy of the hospital antibiogram. Learn what antibiotics are effective against what bugs. Ask the pharmacist to show you culture and sensitivity reports to see if patient is on correct antibiotics.

Then once you are comfortable with the.drugs and bugs....start reading the IDSA guidelines available free online. Then come back here and start posting and asking questions ....get engaged with us. And when I offend you throw it right back at me.

As always, Z delivers a quality response. You can really pick up a lot working in an IV room, like typical doses, classes of drugs, IV compatibility, good/bad drug colors, why things like daptomycin can't be mixed stat, ad infinitum.

My 2 cents?

-You prob wouldn't be able to get a job in a hospital micro lab unless you were in a program or have preexisting certification as a med technologist.

-You gotta learn how to walk before you learn how to run; hospital internships are set up so you do tech work and know how a hospital runs before you start learning drugs and making clinical interventions. What kind of boss is going to want someone doing clinical stuff if they don't have the rest of the knowledge down pat?

-Even while doing tech work, you definitely learn things ASSUMING that you are motivated, curious, and have willing preceptors. Like when I started seeing azithro 2gm x1 as opposed to typical z pack dosing, or 2gm flagyl x1, or 1 bactrim ss daily*. If you're good at your job, you'd notice the weird things and start asking why and either be like a.) this is wrong or b.) i should find out if this is legit before i call someone out for being wrong. And once you start asking the right questions to the right people, I believe that they will see that you're willing to learn/work.


* actually all of these abx drug examples i picked up in retail, and thankfully had a smart preceptor who was willing to teach me about the clap, trich, and PJP prophylaxis respectively. so you can really learn ID in all sorts of settings.

Originally Posted by Its Z

I have a different take. Get a job at a hospital as a tech and spend a lot of time mixing and preparing IVs in the compounding room. Then learn all the antibiotics...know the vials...learn the names...learn what its mixed in....how fast to infuse..learn what the vials look like...then by the time you get to pharmacology and therapeutics you will be a lot more familiar with them. Then you can really delve into therapeutics of it. Also spend some time with the purchaser and go ahead and do the purchasing some....you will get a sense of how much they cost. And always ask the pharmacists what its being used for....what you're treating.

Get a copy of the hospital antibiogram. Learn what antibiotics are effective against what bugs. Ask the pharmacist to show you culture and sensitivity reports to see if patient is on correct antibiotics.

great advice. I'd add that you need to keep an open mind about evidence based medicine. It's a start, but we need to move to science based medicine.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/...pe/#more-20242

oh, and don't believe the financial masters that acquisition costs alone dictate the posture of your stewardship program.

carry on