Clinical Interview?
Started by Deja
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From what I've heard from pharmacists and/or residents, they often give you a patient case and grill you for a few minutes on how you would treat the patient appropriately. Not sure how specific you can get, it could be anything.... Afib/anticoagulation, ID/antifungals, electrolyte disorders, etc....
yeah that's the thing... what kind of case, like the case similar you saw on NAPLEX? or harder cases?
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I haven't taken the NAPLEX, currently finish up rotations in May. Just speaking on behalf of what others have mentioned to me, so I don't really know. Sorry.
Know what abx cover MRSA - which of those are available PO. Ditto for pseudomonas. Those are easy clinical questions we ask and you wouldn't believe how many pharmacists look stumped or can only say "Vanco"
We give a patient profile, calculate CrCl. It comes out to 25 ml/min or so - patient is on enoxaparin and rivaroxaban - what recommendations are you going to make?
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We give a patient profile, calculate CrCl. It comes out to 25 ml/min or so - patient is on enoxaparin and rivaroxaban - what recommendations are you going to make?
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I guess they never had to remember those cause you can just look it up? lol
I wouldn't be able to answer a lot of easy questions since I don't have to remember those stuff in retail or can look it up easily... retail drug knowledge and hospital are really different
Part of what makes us useful in the hospital is knowing these things without having to look them up. Doctors and nurses can use the Internet nearly as well as we can, if you have to look everything up without further understanding and nuances, what are you bringing to the table?
Recently when interviewing candidates with minimal to no hospital experience I've been asking more "ok, so you don't know that off the top of your head, but where will you look?"
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true, there are times when students gets an answer wrong even after looking it up, so understanding the nuances really helps... one of my MD friend looks up stuff all the times too and said theres a lot of stuff he doesn't remember from school, if I was going to do an clinical interview I would have to pretty much study everything again... what would you concentrate on tho? or do you study based on the department? such as acute care vs amb care?
have you guys ever hired someone who didn't know his stuff as well as another candidate?
That is the reason you study for the interview. Things that should be fairly easy (and naming a few drugs that cover MRSA should be) you should be prepared to know for an interview. It amazes me the lack of preparation by "professionals".
that's what I'm saying... look at my previous response
No.
We don't have time to teach basic facts you should have learned in school.
We put a big emphasis on how you will get along with the existing team, and thankfully that person usually is one of the top scorers on our written exam.
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Yikes, a written exam? Can't say I've ever had to do one of those. My first job as a clinical staff pharmacist had a group interview and the clinical guys grilled me a little bit, but not too bad.
The most gruelling interview I ever experienced was at a children's hospital in Texas. It was nearly a full day, probably 6 hours or so, and I think I met every member of the team.. but still no written test.
We added it after a handful of new hires had obvious gaping holes in their knowledge that weren't discovered on interview.
Trying to send syringes of KPhos to the floor, not questioning sub-q heparin on top of dabigatran, during a pip/Tazo shortage interchanging patient with enterococcal infection to cefepime, etc.
It's not a tough test but covers super basic stuff like that.
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I recently applied for (and received an offer) to a job where they had a written test. I was shocked with how easy it was. We had 3 cases. One was a typical anticoag case and they listed renal function, other meds, threw some abx on top of it and asked if we had any interventions. One case I had at least 7 drug therapy issues. I wonder if they expected people to get them all, or just wanted to see if they could at least fine something??
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I am not if this is sarcasm or not - but for outpatient tx bactrim is perfectly acceptable
Yeah, I know.
I was trying to make a witty illustration that resources can be like spell check on Microsoft word. I.e. It'll fix your spelling mistakes, but understanding context & nuance are important for using them.
Guess it didn't work. LOL
no worries, at first I thought you might be thinking bactrim wouldn't be used, then I thought, well, who knows. Ya - converting my sarcasm to writing doesn't always work either
Hah, I had the same response but didn't say anything. I've been out of clinical practice for a year so I thought I might have been rusty.
Hey, just for my clarification, what else could we use? Clindamycin, Zyvox.. what other PO meds could we use for MRSA?
you just failed the interview... lol
MRSA - Clindamycin, TMP/SMX , and Doxycycline. I would switch enoxaparin to heparin and as for rivaroxaban, I have no clue. I would look it up on Lexi
I hope you realize you shouldn't be on enoxaparin and rivaroxaban at the same time? If you missed that one - chances are a place that uses that exam would disqualify you
He would just order a INR level to check if it's safe, DUH
read the question wrong. Sorry :-(
Chime in a little bit here: MRSA oral agents to my knowledge includes Bactrim DS, Doxycycline, Clindamycin, Linezolid. But it'd get complicated pretty quick if you have a pt who is pregnant (then Clinda would be the most OK), diabetic (do we need double coverage?), suffering from N/V (Bactrim DS may not sound so good any more?), presenting with SS/Sx of anaerobic co-infection (May we need Flagyl added on?), geriatrics and cannot swallow pill or have an NG tube (should we crush the pills? or simple use the peds liquid of bactrim?) etc.
I've had these situations in real life before though.
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Don't forget hyperkalemia
(Also doxy is fairly straight forward to compound a suspension)
bazinga
Clinda is also available as reconstituted soln, for GI-tube related, it's quite OK but for oral admin, flavor may be needed because the stuff tastes nastyyyy.... 🙂LOL
