Hospital Internship--what to get out of it

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gaba101

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Let's cut to the chase. As many of us know, many hospitals use intern pharmacy students as techs at hospitals--the lovely pyxis and answering phone calls and whatnot...in that sense alone, a hospital internship on your resume does not make you (no residency) stand out from someone else (no residency either) next to you with a hospital internship on their resume, when looking at life after graduation.

So if one really wants to make his/her hospital internship valuable, what should one take away from a hospital internship? If it makes any difference, a small hospital vs. a large chain hospital. i'm talking skills and knowledge and what you pharmacy preceptors recommend us students doing.

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Let's cut to the chase. As many of us know, many hospitals use intern pharmacy students as techs at hospitals--the lovely pyxis and answering phone calls and whatnot...in that sense alone, a hospital internship on your resume does not make you (no residency) stand out from someone else (no residency either) next to you with a hospital internship on their resume, when looking at life after graduation.

So if one really wants to make his/her hospital internship valuable, what should one take away from a hospital internship? If it makes any difference, a small hospital vs. a large chain hospital. i'm talking skills and knowledge and what you pharmacy preceptors recommend us students doing.


Internship as a job or 4th year rotation? For an internship, I think you should learn all the tech and pharmacist duties including Pyxis. I say size of the hospital matters not...it's what you do there.. I would ask the DOP or the clinical pharmacist what opportunities are there during the internship especially during the summer when not in school. Will they let you participate in special project? The summer between P2 and P3 year, my manager told me to inservice all pharmacy staff on the Joint Commission readiness...with very little direction. So this P1 intern and I took the entire summer to learn about the lovely JCAHO..now called the JC..made up competency tests, literature..signs everywhere...

There were about 12 interns... we were asked to put together presentations and inservice for the pharmacists. Lord...I presented so much crap.
 
Let's cut to the chase. As many of us know, many hospitals use intern pharmacy students as techs at hospitals--the lovely pyxis and answering phone calls and whatnot...in that sense alone, a hospital internship on your resume does not make you (no residency) stand out from someone else (no residency either) next to you with a hospital internship on their resume, when looking at life after graduation.

So if one really wants to make his/her hospital internship valuable, what should one take away from a hospital internship? If it makes any difference, a small hospital vs. a large chain hospital. i'm talking skills and knowledge and what you pharmacy preceptors recommend us students doing.

I see nothing wrong with this...you'll learn a lot by helping out with the "little things". Once they've seen that you're serious about helping/learning, ask them if you can help out with other things too...follow patients on specific drugs for renal dosing adjustments; assess IV to PO conversions; review ADR forms; attend P&T meetings; help with discharge counseling...there're so many things you can do in an inpatient setting. Just be proactive...if you see something you're interested in, let them know.
 
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Internship as a job or 4th year rotation? For an internship, I think you should learn all the tech and pharmacist duties including Pyxis. I say size of the hospital matters not...it's what you do there.. I would ask the DOP or the clinical pharmacist what opportunities are there during the internship especially during the summer when not in school. Will they let you participate in special project? The summer between P2 and P3 year, my manager told me to inservice all pharmacy staff on the Joint Commission readiness...with very little direction. So this P1 intern and I took the entire summer to learn about the lovely JCAHO..now called the JC..made up competency tests, literature..signs everywhere...

There were about 12 interns... we were asked to put together presentations and inservice for the pharmacists. Lord...I presented so much crap.

internship as a job. hospital internships to list on the resume is a cinch. what distinguishes you from the next candidate (for anything you're applying to) is what skills you've acquired from that job to take to the next job (and i'm talking about no residency at the moment)
 
nothing stands out to me as a hospital pharmacist more than an intern who is willing to learn the "little" things. if you come in with the attitude that you should only be doing "clinical" work b/c you are an intern, i WILL find even more scutwork for you. :D
you can learn alot by doing grunt work, and you gain appreciation for every aspect of what makes the deparment run. to get the most out of your experience, be willing to do whatever is assigned to you....and offer to take on some project, or help the "clinical" people, help the DOP on projects and paperwork...be a willing assistant and soon you won't be on the scut patrol!
 
nothing stands out to me as a hospital pharmacist more than an intern who is willing to learn the "little" things. if you come in with the attitude that you should only be doing "clinical" work b/c you are an intern, i WILL find even more scutwork for you. :D
you can learn alot by doing grunt work, and you gain appreciation for every aspect of what makes the deparment run. to get the most out of your experience, be willing to do whatever is assigned to you....and offer to take on some project, or help the "clinical" people, help the DOP on projects and paperwork...be a willing assistant and soon you won't be on the scut patrol!



So says the Pyxis Queen...
 
internship as a job. hospital internships to list on the resume is a cinch. what distinguishes you from the next candidate (for anything you're applying to) is what skills you've acquired from that job to take to the next job (and i'm talking about no residency at the moment)

gaba - I'd say the skills you need are to learn the "whys" of what you're doing. Anyone can follow the dept policy, but learn why that policy is in place. Is it because of a JC regulation, a hospital philosophy, something that came out of an error or incident. Whatever it is, learn the "why". With this, you can clearly put on your resume you are familiar with JC requirements for pharmacy (be sure you've read them & know how your dept complies).

Also, its beneficical to learn the workings behind the machinery - pyxis, pumps, autofill for tpn components, ud packaging equipment, etc. This may come under the "scut" component, but you'll be an invaluable resource (& Tuss will forever be in your debt by giving her a day off;)). On your resume, you can put that you've been a resource person for installation & implementation of new equiment such as Pyxis & XYZ pumps.

You must learn each & every part of the pharmacy operations, even if techs or clerks do it - from labeling inhalers for inpt to outpt use, compounding gels for PT, ordering from wholesalers or direct - whatever. I've lived through 3 strikes which technicians participated in. Yes - there are times I've done everything - from giving medication & charting it because there were not enough nurses to cleaning the toilets since the porters were on strike. It happens, the hospital still functions.

I agree with Epic - do a project & perhaps another. Be willing to write one month's newsletter. Volunteer for a presentation to pharmacy or nursing staff (usuallly there is one a month). Volunteer to gather the data for whatever DUR review that is being done. Now, you can say on your resume that you've done DUR review with finding presentation, inserviced staff & have written articles for medical staff presentation.

Good Luck!
 
gaba - I'd say the skills you need are to learn the "whys" of what you're doing. Anyone can follow the dept policy, but learn why that policy is in place. Is it because of a JC regulation, a hospital philosophy, something that came out of an error or incident. Whatever it is, learn the "why". With this, you can clearly put on your resume you are familiar with JC requirements for pharmacy (be sure you've read them & know how your dept complies).

Also, its beneficical to learn the workings behind the machinery - pyxis, pumps, autofill for tpn components, ud packaging equipment, etc. This may come under the "scut" component, but you'll be an invaluable resource (& Tuss will forever be in your debt by giving her a day off;)). On your resume, you can put that you've been a resource person for installation & implementation of new equiment such as Pyxis & XYZ pumps.

You must learn each & every part of the pharmacy operations, even if techs or clerks do it - from labeling inhalers for inpt to outpt use, compounding gels for PT, ordering from wholesalers or direct - whatever. I've lived through 3 strikes which technicians participated in. Yes - there are times I've done everything - from giving medication & charting it because there were not enough nurses to cleaning the toilets since the porters were on strike. It happens, the hospital still functions.

I agree with Epic - do a project & perhaps another. Be willing to write one month's newsletter. Volunteer for a presentation to pharmacy or nursing staff (usuallly there is one a month). Volunteer to gather the data for whatever DUR review that is being done. Now, you can say on your resume that you've done DUR review with finding presentation, inserviced staff & have written articles for medical staff presentation.

Good Luck!

Thanks. that was EXACTLY what I was looking for. an "objectives and goals" of hospital internship, if you will. if you've got anymore (I know you like to talk and type), please post more =)
 
ooh!
i've got another....spend some time with your buyer. it's another interesting perspective from which to learn hospital operations
 
Thanks. that was EXACTLY what I was looking for. an "objectives and goals" of hospital internship, if you will. if you've got anymore (I know you like to talk and type), please post more =)

OK - you asked, so here's more.....

We've gotten you to understand that all the mechanisms of the pharmacy needs to take place, the drugs need to be purchased & controlled in some fashion (don't forget - JC requires you to have in place a mechanism for checking outdates on all drugs located EVERYWHERE). So - learn where all the drugs are kept. That seems obvious, but its not. After you get to know the techs & nurses, you'll know that not all the drugs are returned to pyxis as the procedures require. There is some inherent fear nursing & techs (like radiology & cath lab) have the drugs won't be there, so they hide them. We know & they know, but if you want to get along, you'll carefully check the dating & remove them BEFORE the JC inspection. Or - you'll be asked to provide drugs routinely for "off label" purposes - like lipids on anesthesia carts. On your resume you'll be able to say you've worked with other departments and can respond to their changing needs in a rapid manner.

Clinically - I want you to understand the physiology of the patient. You don't have the luxury I had when I began in practice. An operative pt was brought in the night before & kept in the hospital for 5 days.

Every patient now is not at a stable point. So, you need to understand that BUN/Cr in the context of what is going on at the time. It won't look like a textbook, so learn your physiology & how that affects the pharmacology. Know that when you get that patient in the ICU with post op orders for gent & vanc, you have to consider they were in the cath lab last night receiving dye in their coronary arteries & went for a 4 vessel bypass this AM. That will change how you expect the kidneys to function. They will work much differently from the pt in the next bed who is receiving the same drugs but is a post-op diabetic bka or trauma pt.

Now, you can put on your resume you have experience in dosing in a variety of clinical kinetic settings and can adjust nomograms or dosing programs to compensate for transient physiologic conditions.

I don't work in peds/NICU, burn units or large oncology centers (we have only a small oncology unit). But, if you have the opportunity to work in those units, understand carefully how these patients will differ from all the other patients (ie burn pts lose tremendous amounts of fluid & need a much different tpn mix than a trauma pt for example). Don't ever claim on a resume you have experience in these fields unless you really do.

If you can, spend time with the dop. That is an entirely different perspective of the pharmacy operations than from the pharmacist's viewpoint. Just learning that end will help you understand why decisions are made which seem to go against logic or common sense. As pharmacists, we often don't see the "larger" business picture of the hospital.
 
I love my job as a pharmacy intern (job). Yes, I do lots of tech work. But I can also answer questions and get to do lots of drug information calls. Our hospital does tech/intern order entry (checked by pharmacist) so if I have time I can enter orders. And because I'm an intern I can page the MD, tell him/her they are an idiot, and then they usually do what I say. Because I'm only P3 and halfway through my 1st semester of therapeutics 90% of the time I still double check with the pharmacist before I make the call and any orders I write (clarifications, adjusted dosing, etc) I also have a pharmacist sign even though legally my signature is enough.

I love that I can work anywhere in the pharmacy. As I've been there longer I've gotten more responsibility. On the weekends I often work on the Adult SAC/MedSurg floors. Yes I do lots of tech stuff, make sure doses are there (I check every unit for all abx doses due before noon by 8am and send anything that is missing), deliver Cart Fill and Accudose, but then I get to screen all new admits for pneumococcal vaccine, get heights/weights on anyone >65y/o or SCr > 1.2 (I like to do everyone but I rarely have the time), go to patient's rooms and med rooms and order LVPs depending on rates/volume left, do IV to POs, and then get the abx sheet ready for the pharmacist - look up the pt, SCr, age, how long pt has been on drug, why on drug, any cultures, etc. I'm not good enough to spot anything funky most of the time but it was amazingly helpful for the antimicrobials in pharmacology last year. If I have time (depends how many doses are missing and how social my coworkers are) usually my pharmacist will let me do the kinetics and we go over it together. If they're super busy I let them do it because they're much faster.

I also work in the IV room quite a bit. Again, this is a great way to see dosing. Rarely do I catch an order entry mistake as far as dosing goes, but all the time I get to ask "Why?".

I think it is super important to do tech work. You need to know how everything gets where it is going and where that can go wrong. Knowing the techs duties can help you streamline the process from the top.

Get involved. I've started going to P&T meetings (these things were all my idea), soon I'll be chemo trained, I'm helping start up our Burn Team.

This varies hospital to hospital. Where I did my rotation last summer they never hired pharmacy students and their techs didn't do anything clinical. At my hospital some of the floors have the techs do a fair amount of clinical (pneumococcal screening, prepare abx sheet for RPh). It's mostly so the pharmacist can spend their time doing other things, as ours have to do both order entry and the clinical stuff.
 
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