ER Pharmacists in the news!

[silentovation]

I was interested in getting other's thoughts on the NPR story run today on PharmDs in the ER. Is this a newer frontier in the hospital realm, or has the saturation reached this specialty as well? It sounds like it could be an interesting niche.

Link to NPR story

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[njac]

I was interested in getting other's thoughts on the NPR story run today on PharmDs in the ER. Is this a newer frontier in the hospital realm, or has the saturation reached this specialty as well? It sounds like it could be an interesting niche.

Link to NPR story

The oldest EM programs are 30+ years old, so it's hardly a new frontier in pharmacy.

Nearly every hospital has an ED, and there are only a handful of EM PGY-2 spots every year (last time I counted it was 15 including some unaccredited programs, it may be more now). So this is a specialty where people have managed to get positions without the residency training.

As someone who completed a PGY-2 in emergency medicine, I get contacted constantly by recruiters. However, I have zero interest in working in your average suburban community ED, so those jobs are definitely out there.

 

[gtpederson]

All the ED pharmacists I know got there via a PGY1 with "emphasis" on ED operations, not necessarily a specialized PGy2 residency.
I personally couldn't handle all that med rec.

 

[sakigt]

For once I didnt hear it live but I saw the link and was very excited. Everytime I tell people what I do they always give me a blank stare.

We certainly dont staff the ER 24 hours a day but I could see it going that direction. Right now weve got the place covered 7 days a week from the afternoon until just before midnight. Fortunantly and unfortuantly we do a lot of remote order verification and admission orders during that time so its easier to justify our existance. Throw in some codes, rsi, complicated med recs and youve got yourself a very busy shift.

 

[njac]

All the ED pharmacists I know got there via a PGY1 with "emphasis" on ED operations, not necessarily a specialized PGy2 residency.
I personally couldn't handle all that med rec.

I do zero med rec.

Well, not zero, but I emphasize it on specific patient populations - HIV, epilepsy, transplant.

It's all on how you establish your practice. When I was interviewing post-residency, most of the smaller hospitals saw an ED pharmacist as a med rec tool. And that's why I don't work at one of those places. It's a slippery slope using med rec as a way to get your foot in the door...

 

[njac]

Here's a thread I started when I was beginning my 4th year of pharmacy school. Funny enough, I've worked with several of the active members of the Emergency Medicine sub forum. Once we figure it out it's fun to joke about how much we've all grown.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php?threads/Pharmacist-in-the-ED.544248/

 

[sakigt]

I do zero med rec.

Well, not zero, but I emphasize it on specific patient populations - HIV, epilepsy, transplant.

It's all on how you establish your practice. When I was interviewing post-residency, most of the smaller hospitals saw an ED pharmacist as a med rec tool. And that's why I don't work at one of those places. It's a slippery slope using med rec as a way to get your foot in the door...

Id rather do a complicated med rec myself than try and fix the problems once the hospitalist comes through and continues it all. Ive caught more mistakes than I can count even after the med rec gets put in, let alone before. Just last week the patient told the RN the wrong insulin they were using for SS, a simple 30 second conversation and the error was fixed.