First job as a hospital pharmacist right after graduation. Any advice?

[sweetfrannie]

August 2015.
My first day as a hospital pharmacist is in a couple weeks. I just graduated in May 2015. This is my first job as a licensed pharmacist. Anyone have any advice as to what to expect or what I should know to do well at this job?

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[gwarm01]

You should get several weeks of training. Get a subscription to uptodate or lexicomp if the hospital doesn't have it and don't feel afraid to look up everything until you are comfortable. Make an effort to learn the hospital policies. Hopefully you're entering a supportive environment with senior pharmacists that want you to succeed.

 

[sakigt]

Make friends with everyone and let them know if they find any mistakes, even simple ones to print them out and let you know about them. Be humble and approachable. Even now I "bounce ideas" off my coworkers so that they know I value their opinion. Make cheat sheets. Get Lexi. Download podcasts (search for my recommendations on some). Signup for Pharmacist Letter. Dont be afraid to ask questions.

 

[MSSimpson12]

I'm in the same position, looking forward to starting but incredibly nervous!
I'm trying to review for my specific population as much as possible. Luckily where I will work has a sub to Uptodate and I now have it on my iPhone/iPad.

Good luck to you!

 

[CYP3A4]

Get Lexicomp for your smartphone. I have been a hospital pharmacist for almost 6 years now. Having that amout of information at the tip of your fingers is invaluable. Don't worry about the cost of the subsription. Trust me, it's worth it! Also, when you come across something new or unfamiliar, go back and read up on it. I know it soundsl ike pharmacy school advice but you will come across alot of weird stuff so it's best to learn as much as you can.

Finally, learn the computer system inside out. Not just from your perspective, but from the nurses perspective as well. You will be bombarded on a daily basis with questions from nursing, so try to get a feel for what they have to deal with (ie their Emar interface, barcoding, etc).

Lastly, don't stress. One thing I have leanred is that it is very rare to have a doctor or nurse ask some super random clinical question. This isn't pharmacy school when your preceptors drill you about detailed mechanisms of action, molecular structure, statistical tests etc. You will be surprised at how much you actually know!

 

[sweetfrannie]

Thanks everyone! I have micromedex and clinical pharmacology on my phone. I wish I had uptodate!! So useful. I am training in the anticoagulation clinic right now and would love any tips! They are allowing me two days to review all the policies. Hope it's enough time!!

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

So, what are you guy's thought on being overly cautious. I'm in the training process today at my new hospital and we each went up in front of our small group to verify orders and try to catch common things that would need to be fixed due to the computer system (the logistical stuff). Anyways, my hospital has a potassium protocol and I was verifying some. It was for 20 mEq and I really hate to blindly verifying stuff without looking at K, SCr, etc. At the end of the day, the other pharmacists were kinda like they wouldn't bother to check electrolytes for a one time 20 mEq KCl or bother looking at mag levels for IV mag, which that statement made me feel a bit self conscious because I would (still going to). 1) I've worked with medical residents doing all the orders and come across so many easy mistakes, 2) I like to get to know the patient - is this a common problem for this patient, are they on meds that could make their K low/high, are we giving K to someone that doesn't really need it, how good/bad is their renal function, etc. For mag, yeah it's benign but sometimes I feel like it's unnecessary and we had a IV mag shortage that was reserved for patient's with cardiovascular issues, so I guess I'm conditioned to check how bad a patient's mag level is and if they can just get oral replacement instead. The vast majority of my patients last year were renal transplant patients or dialysis patients, so maybe I'm just more sensitive to electrolytes. Blah.

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

Ooops, I posted in the wrong thread.... Sorry!

 

[Pharmacyjoedotcom]

Good luck!

It took me 6 months to feel comfortable and a year to feel confident when I started as a hospital pharmacist "back in the day".

The most important thing is to "Know what you don't know". You don't get 2nd chances with your credibility.

The great thing is you will have many colleagues and other providers to bounce things off of and learn from.

How are things going so far?

Joe