Opinions on pharmacists

[BME103]

I am currently a pharmacy student. I am wondering what do other health care professionals think of pharmacists. Your inputs would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[docB]

Pharmacists know way more about drugs that the vast majority of docs. Every specialty has a few drugs that they know inside and out but for breadth of drug knowledge I have found this to be true. Some docs have trouble with this due to ego issues. I frequently call pharm so I can write better scripts (what should I write for dispense so the pt gets a whole box? etc.) and better scripts means fewer calls.

Many hospitals, particularly academic centers, use pharm to enforce utilization requirements ($ saving measures) and antibiotic use etc. It's a pain when you're a resident *** code - gotta go, more later***

 

[ProZackMI]

I am currently a pharmacy student. I am wondering what do other health care professionals think of pharmacists. Your inputs would be greatly appreciated.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for all pharmacists, whether clinical or retail. I think they are great resources to have around.

 

[njbmd]

I am currently a pharmacy student. I am wondering what do other health care professionals think of pharmacists. Your inputs would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there,
I have come to rely on my pharmacist colleagues when it comes to the behavior of pharmaceuticals. I have been fortunate to work with a very solid pharmacy department that gives me great information, often in the middle of the night.

Since our orders are totally computerized, I sometimes need to order something outside the formulary or adjust the dosage of something to fit my patient's needs. My pharmacy folks are always a phone call away and are quite helpful. During the day, a Pharm.D is always available in the ICU for consultation. They are particularly knowledgable about pharmaceutical kinetics.

I have a great amount of respect for the specialized knowledge of pharmacologists and find that they are invaluable members of the healthcare team. Congratulations in your choice of pharmacology and I hope that you join great pharmacy department.

njbmd

 

[Hurricane]

I've been on teams with PharmDs both in the ICU and the general medicine floor and have been thoroughly impressed. They guy we have on our team now is amazing. He has a much greater depth of knowledge about drugs than anyone else on the team, is always willing to help and teach, and always has a study to back up everything he says. The attendings and residents routinely ask his advice or defer to him when it comes to drug questions. I think having a pharmacist on the team is great. And whenever I've called the pharmacy with a question, they've been nothing but helpful. Pharmacists rock

I will admit however that before working with them on the wards, I wasn't aware of the advanced training and residencies that the clinical pharmacists do.

 

[Gimlet]

My dad is a pharmacist, and now that I'm in med school I've really come to realize how awesome his knowledge of pharmacology is. The whole time I was growing up I thought his job was just to count pills into a bottle, but now that we talk about things that I'm learning, I know that's far from the case. I will definitely be utilizing my pharmacy colleagues for consultation once I'm in practice.

 

[docB]

Anyway, it's annoying to get calls about changing drugs, especially when you're the resident and the attending wants something and it's a big fight. It's also a pain to get called about ER patients who want refills or substitutions. Those are the reasons that pharms get grief from docs. But again the docs need to know that the pharms know more.

 

[jonwill]

I am currently a pharmacy student. I am wondering what do other health care professionals think of pharmacists. Your inputs would be greatly appreciated.

Docs I've rotated with have consulted pharmacists many times on our more difficult patients. They know their drugs. I looked at pharmacy school (I have two good friends that are pharm D's) but it's far too much chemistry for me!

 

[sdn1977]

On the behalf of my profession, I thank you all for your kind words. Please call or better yet, stop by...& ask anything or just say hello!

 

[G0S2]

My girlfriend is graduating with her PharmD next month. Smart as hell and knows so much about drugs and clinical uses/interactions/dosing. I am so happy to have her knowledge around as I begin pharm next year as an MS2. Not to mention she's hot!!

 

[sdn1977]

My girlfriend is graduating with her PharmD next month. Smart as hell and knows so much about drugs and clinical uses/interactions/dosing. I am so happy to have her knowledge around as I begin pharm next year as an MS2. Not to mention she's hot!!

Hahaha ! We're all hot! At least that's what my husband says...but what does he know.....he's a dentist (just joking!!!!!)

 

[akinf]

I am currently a pharmacy student. I am wondering what do other health care professionals think of pharmacists. Your inputs would be greatly appreciated.

My sister is currently in 2nd year pharmacy in Canada and I never realised just how much they learn. I had a clearly misconstrued idea about the timid and pill-counting pharmacist until I became aware of all of the knowledge, the rigorous training, and the options pharmacists can undertake upon completion. However, one thing I do find is their extent of knowledge is under-utilized. The role of the pharmacist I think has been so heavily stigmatized that people don't understand just how useful their pharmacist can be. I personally believe it is up to the pharmacists to take on a greater role (and introduction of the Pharm.D is a great way of doing that while providing more in depth knowledge). Anyways, best of luck as a pharmacist, you've chosen an excellent career.

 

[cheer_up]

However, one thing I do find is their extent of knowledge is under-utilized. The role of the pharmacist I think has been so heavily stigmatized that people don't understand just how useful their pharmacist can be.

I second that.

 

[Hurricane]

Hahaha ! We're all hot! At least that's what my husband says...but what does he know.....he's a dentist (just joking!!!!!)

It's true. All of the PharmDs I've seen on the wards - both male and female - are very easy on the eyes. Is that a requirement for admission to pharmacy school?

 

[Sosumi]

It's true. All of the PharmDs I've seen on the wards - both male and female - are very easy on the eyes. Is that a requirement for admission to pharmacy school?

They only let the good-looking PharmD's out onto the wards. The rest of us get left behind in the basement of the hospital.

 

[USCguy]

My roommate is in his final year of pharm school. He knows all kinds of stuff about the different drugs. I usually utilize his skills when I'm taking something and want to know, "Can I drink if I'm taking this?"...

 

[patmcd]

Glad to see some postive thoughts from the future MD's on here. In some of the previous threads on SDN some current and future MD's have been cery critical of pharmacists and their expanding roles. A big for cooperation and respect between all healthcare fields.

 

[Hurricane]

Glad to see some postive thoughts from the future MD's on here. In some of the previous threads on SDN some current and future MD's have been cery critical of pharmacists and their expanding roles. A big for cooperation and respect between all healthcare fields.

About the "expanding roles" - the PharmD on our ICU team routinely writes orders in the chart - electrolyte replacement, antibiotic changes, etc while we're rounding. So I asked him about his order writing abilities, and he said that technically he "recommends" then writes the order once it's been approved by the MD. Which I thought was kind of amusing since we do what he says 100% of the time, so technically we are "telling" him to write the order for the thing he just told us to do.

Anyway, I love our pharm dude. All of the students on our team just got together and emailed the dean's office about finding a way to get him a teaching award, since all of the teaching awards for which they're always trying to get us to submit nominations are for MDs.

 

[patmcd]

Hopefully pharmacists will actually gain the rights to actually prescribe in situations like that. For your average retail job there isn't much need, but for specialty pharmacy jobs like ICU, ER, etc it seems like all both patients and healthcare providers would benefit. The system seems to work in places like VA hospitals where pharmacists have gained some prescribing rights. I think it was NC that had a bill in the works for certain types of pharmcists to get prescribing rights, or at least the ability to changes meds.

 

[sdn1977]

Hopefully pharmacists will actually gain the rights to actually prescribe in situations like that. For your average retail job there isn't much need, but for specialty pharmacy jobs like ICU, ER, etc it seems like all both patients and healthcare providers would benefit. The system seems to work in places like VA hospitals where pharmacists have gained some prescribing rights. I think it was NC that had a bill in the works for certain types of pharmcists to get prescribing rights, or at least the ability to changes meds.

Actually...here in CA, its pretty standard for pharmacists in addition to nurses, RT & PT to write orders in medical charts of hospitalized & SNF patients. But...don't mix up prescribing with order writing. As pharmacists, we write (order) therapeutic interchanges, dosage adjustments, etc - all protocols which have previously been approved by the P&T committee so these are my own independent orders and I write them without prior need for physician consultation, altho I usually do as a courtesy. All the other orders I write I have previously discussed with the appropriate physician. Thus, I write these orders as a verbal order which helps all the other consultants know they don't have to track me down if there is a question since I'm not as available as the physicians are. I do not diagnose & don't want to diagnose - I adjust therapy which might have been initiated by someone else. I'm always willing to advise of an initial choice of drug after a diagnosis is made, but I'd never presume to be able to make the diagnosis myself.

The exception in my state is retail pharmacy. Pharmacists have independent prescribing authority to prescribe & dispense Plan B & immunizations without physician consultation...but that is a whole other topic....

 

[Vox Animo]

pharmicists=good people

 

[patmcd]

Actually...here in CA, its pretty standard for pharmacists in addition to nurses, RT & PT to write orders in medical charts of hospitalized & SNF patients. But...don't mix up prescribing with order writing. As pharmacists, we write (order) therapeutic interchanges, dosage adjustments, etc - all protocols which have previously been approved by the P&T committee so these are my own independent orders and I write them without prior need for physician consultation, altho I usually do as a courtesy. All the other orders I write I have previously discussed with the appropriate physician. Thus, I write these orders as a verbal order which helps all the other consultants know they don't have to track me down if there is a question since I'm not as available as the physicians are. I do not diagnose & don't want to diagnose - I adjust therapy which might have been initiated by someone else. I'm always willing to advise of an initial choice of drug after a diagnosis is made, but I'd never presume to be able to make the diagnosis myself.

The exception in my state is retail pharmacy. Pharmacists have independent prescribing authority to prescribe & dispense Plan B & immunizations without physician consultation...but that is a whole other topic....

I wasn't saying that as pharmacists we should start diagnosising patients. If a pharmacist wants to do that they should have become an MD. But choosing a drug based on a physicians diagnosis, or changing a treatment regime will hopefully become a nation wide thing.

 

[tackett26]

I really appreciate your comments. You wouldn't believe how many docs think of us as nothing but "store keepers"

Pharmacists know way more about drugs that the vast majority of docs. Every specialty has a few drugs that they know inside and out but for breadth of drug knowledge I have found this to be true. Some docs have trouble with this due to ego issues. I frequently call pharm so I can write better scripts (what should I write for dispense so the pt gets a whole box? etc.) and better scripts means fewer calls.

Many hospitals, particularly academic centers, use pharm to enforce utilization requirements ($ saving measures) and antibiotic use etc. It's a pain when you're a resident *** code - gotta go, more later***

 

[meister]

There should be a clinical pharmacist on every floor who looks over drug regimens daily and is available at all times for consult. They are a heavily under-utilized resource, dramatically so in the retail outpatient environment.

 

[womp]

Pharmacists have good hours (40 hrs/wk) and a good salary ($100k-$120k).

 

[RGMSU]

Pharmacists have good hours (40 hrs/wk) and a good salary ($100k-$120k).

Yeah, I kinda wish I had become one. Who the hell wants to be a physician anymore? No glory, no money - just a rubber stamp and a door mat. Someone's always waiting around the corner to kick you in the butt - other healthcare workers, patients, lawyers, insurance companies, the government, etc. I'm extremely young in my career, but I honestly wouldn't do it again. As odd as it may seem, the days of physicians being respected, compensated, and crucial to the process of taking care of patients seems to be over. I'm not sure what the physician's role is anymore other than being an easy target for the "change" bandwagon. Before long, physicians will be the most educated floor-sweepers in the hospital. Negative yes, but not too far from the truth compared to the role physicians once enjoyed. This one thread produced thirty gushingly positive comments about pharmacists. You couldn't find a thread on here with a single positive comment about physicians to save your life. And, I don't agree that informing a physician that you're changing their orders is really a "courtesy." After all, most patients have no clue who the hospital pharmacist is, while they certainly know who their physician is. So, why should the physician receive the blowback from the angry patient when their medicine gets adjusted, even when the physician has nothing to do with it? Further, why should the physician, as attending "supervisor" be held responsible for the outcome of a patient when someone else changes their treatment decisions? If a pharmacist or nurse comes along and rights contravening orders in a chart, and the physician doesn't agree with it and has not been asked for authorization to do it, it puts the physician in a rather odd position of what - having to write in the chart that they don't agree with it so they don't have to take the legal fall for it? Things really work much better when there is one captain of the ship. I have no problem with input, but it would piss me off to have people changing my orders every time I leave when they are not the highest profile legal risk on the team. Pharmacists make mistakes too, you know. Also, I doubt a clinical pharmacist knows any more about medical management within a specialty than the practicing specialist, ie, your average clinical pharmacist isn't going to know more about antiepileptic drug choice than a neurologist, unless that pharmacist has done specific postgrad training in neurological pharmaceuticals.

 

[womp]

Yeah, I kinda wish I had become one. Who the hell wants to be a physician anymore? No glory, no money - just a rubber stamp and a door mat. Someone's always waiting around the corner to kick you in the butt - other healthcare workers, patients, lawyers, insurance companies, the government, etc. I'm extremely young in my career, but I honestly wouldn't do it again. As odd as it may seem, the days of physicians being respected, compensated, and crucial to the process of taking care of patients seems to be over. I'm not sure what the physician's role is anymore other than being an easy target for the "change" bandwagon. Before long, physicians will be the most educated floor-sweepers in the hospital. Negative yes, but not too far from the truth compared to the role physicians once enjoyed. This one thread produced thirty gushingly positive comments about pharmacists. You couldn't find a thread on here with a single positive comment about physicians to save your life. And, I don't agree that informing a physician that you're changing their orders is really a "courtesy." After all, most patients have no clue who the hospital pharmacist is, while they certainly know who their physician is. So, why should the physician receive the blowback from the angry patient when their medicine gets adjusted, even when the physician has nothing to do with it? Further, why should the physician, as attending "supervisor" be held responsible for the outcome of a patient when someone else changes their treatment decisions? If a pharmacist or nurse comes along and rights contravening orders in a chart, and the physician doesn't agree with it and has not been asked for authorization to do it, it puts the physician in a rather odd position of what - having to write in the chart that they don't agree with it so they don't have to take the legal fall for it? Things really work much better when there is one captain of the ship. I have no problem with input, but it would piss me off to have people changing my orders every time I leave when they are not the highest profile legal risk on the team. Pharmacists make mistakes too, you know. Also, I doubt a clinical pharmacist knows any more about medical management within a specialty than the practicing specialist, ie, your average clinical pharmacist isn't going to know more about antiepileptic drug choice than a neurologist, unless that pharmacist has done specific postgrad training in neurological pharmaceuticals.

While I poignantly understand your point, would you really, really have picked pharmacy? I think it's easy for a lot of us to say, "damn, pharmacists have it made, I should've just saved myself the trouble and gone that path," but that's probably not a truly self-reflective opinion. Odds are most would still choose to become physicians. Doctors should instead be more involved to make their chosen professions better, rather than resign themselves to the reality.

 

[RGMSU]

The only thing I enjoy about the practice of medicine is the practice of medicine, if anybody will let us practice it. My cynicism derives from the fact that it seems to be getting worse rather than better.

 

[Zrchrn]

.... Also, I doubt a clinical pharmacist knows any more about medical management within a specialty than the practicing specialist, ie, your average clinical pharmacist isn't going to know more about antiepileptic drug choice than a neurologist, unless that pharmacist has done specific postgrad training in neurological pharmaceuticals.

Clinical Pharmacists generally have residencies in the area they want to specialize in. Now it's nice that a neurologist knows about drugs relating to his speciality but it's unlikely he'll know as much about drugs outside his speciality and there is where the value of a pharmacist is. It's not like all patients come in with a single issue and aren't on any other drugs. Often times there will be many drugs and the pharmacist will have to know how they all interact. The have specialized in neurology and know the conditions and medications related to that inside out, but they are also well trained on other medications that don't have to do with neurology.

Medicine is a great career too, try to look for the positives. The grass is always greener on the other side. It's cliche' but it's often true. Had you gone to pharmacy you might be here complaining about how you know all about medication but no one will let you prescribe.

 

[RGMSU]

That's why a pharmacist is valuable for consultation to a neurologist. I'm not sure how that dictates them taking over full medical management of the patient though. However, since about 90% of after-hours calls for inpatient patients to a physician is related to medical management, if pharmacists are willing to accept full responsibility for medical malpractice based on their therapeutic decisions, ENTIRELY releasing the physician from ALL responsibility, and if you guys are willing to accept individual responsibility for a particular patient and get paged at 2am for your patient's medical decisions, I doubt you would receive much fight from physicians about taking all that over. My guess is that what you're talking about instead is keeping the physician on the team to accept legal responsibility with you, though they have no role in the therapeutic decisions, keeping the physician on the team to get paged at night, though they're not getting paid for medical management, and you pharmacists working a staff shift and then going home. A staff pharmacist who knows nothing about a patient they have never seen before suddenly making the therapeutic decisions for them without consulting the physician who has been treating them for some time doesn't sound like a great plan to me, for the patient anyway.

 

[caribbeanjp17]

Im studying pharm right now... came across this by doing a search on why is pharmacology so boring? hahahahahaha.. I think pharm is boring, but then again i think every class in basic science is boring. cant imagine wanting to dedicate my career to just drugs, but what im interested in Im sure would put 99% of people to sleep as well. Every aspect in healthcare is important

 

[thedrjojo]

I can't stand the idea of pharmacists who refuse to fill Plan B or even OCP, and not only that, refuse to give the script back to allow them to go fill it elsewhere. Tis BS. I know it is a small minority, but they get much press over it, and the consciencious objector law in general is bs, but to extend it to pharmacists is outright rediculous

 

[maceo]

My experience is that pharmacist dont know nearly as much as i know about the drugs i use in practice. I sometimes test them and they are at a loss.

 

[docB]

My experience is that pharmacist dont know nearly as much as i know about the drugs i use in practice. I sometimes test them and they are at a loss.

How do you test them? If you're pimping practicing pharmacists I'm surprised they answer you at all.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

I can't stand the idea of pharmacists who refuse to fill Plan B or even OCP, and not only that, refuse to give the script back to allow them to go fill it elsewhere. Tis BS. I know it is a small minority, but they get much press over it, and the consciencious objector law in general is bs, but to extend it to pharmacists is outright rediculous

Agreed. Does planned parenthood or some other organization keep a list of pharmacists who have refused to fill such scripts so that they can be avoided, both for Plan B/OCPs in particular, and for all their services, in general?

 

[caribbeanjp17]

It's true. All of the PharmDs I've seen on the wards - both male and female - are very easy on the eyes. Is that a requirement for admission to pharmacy school?

WOW !! i just realized how true that really is. Every pharmacy student who is female hot.

(My pharm final is tomorrow and im failing by just 1 point; if i gotta retake this class im gonna find a pharmacy student that is female to "tutor me"

 

[atpsynthase]

It's really nice to see all of you say these things about pharmacists and pharmacy students. It's something that I think we are really working towards and that would be allowing ourselves to be fully utilized in the health care process and to get rid of that stigma that we are all pill counters that stand behind the counter at Wal-Mart. This thread literally made me feel 100% more excited to be a pharmacist in a few short years.

One of the biggest things that I am excited about is interacting and working as a team with MDs, DOs, RNs, PAs, etc. while in practice. We can do amazing things as a team.

 

[Aaliah thomas]

Im studying pharm right now... came across this by doing a search on why is pharmacology so boring? hahahahahaha.. I think pharm is boring, but then again i think every class in basic science is boring. cant imagine wanting to dedicate my career to just drugs, but what im interested in Im sure would put 99% of people to sleep as well. Every aspect in healthcare is important

You are correct caribbean!

Every career has its importance. Pharmacy is related to medicine but has vast job avenues with pharmaceutical industry, government departments, universities, teaching hospitals, investigation and research institute etc. Within the pharmaceutical industry there are activities related to the development, formulation, production or marketing of new drugs for clinical use.

So I would say that doing pharmacy is not at all a bad choice.