Is anyone here an Emergency Medicine pharmacist?

[Shohōsen]

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Hey All. For the last year, I have been an overnight pharmacist at CVS (also working day shifts) and am looking to break into hospital. A month ago I did sort of a mini-hospital fellowship at my own expense to gain some training along with my IV certification. This is unexpected, but after casting my net in various places, a pharmacy director reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in working nights as an ED pharmacist. He assures me there is an extensive training program and that I will be invested in.

To be honest, I am sort of baffled by this. I was under the impression that ED pharmacy is a specialty area for which residency is normally required. I was only looking to find a general hospital slot, but apparently someone forwarded my resume to the pharm director of subject, and he is attempting to recruit me out of the blue. I really don't know the first thing about ED pharmacy (or why more qualified candidates are not available), but is there anyone on this forum who works this field? Has anyone worked as an ED pharmacist that can describe the job environment? Do you stay on your feet, similar to retail, rather than sit at a computer? Do you get any breaks to eat? Or is the ED similar to daytime retail, despite being hospital? Is the stress level insane?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Here's a rough breakdown of the workload at my institution:

• Order verification/pharmacist-driven protocols (PK, renal, formulary substitution)
  
• Questions/consults from physicians - I've been asked to order anything from empiric antibiotics to deciding on discharge pain medications
  
• Culture follow-ups for discharged patients (urine, wound, STIs)
• Attend codes: Blue, Stroke, STEMI, Sepsis, Trauma
  
• Nursing questions (administration, IV compatibility)
• Patient interviews for med history and education on discharge
  
• Consulting other services (Infectious disease, case management for insurance issues)

It all depends on how progressive your institution is- I'd really question this employer what your responsibilities will be if you have little to no acute care experience. It could be doing only med recs for all you know.

 

[ChalupaBatman86]

Plot twist, it's an Erectile Dysfunction pharmacy


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[confettiflyer]

Hey All. For the last year, I have been an overnight pharmacist at CVS (also working day shifts) and am looking to break into hospital. A month ago I did sort of a mini-hospital fellowship at my own expense to gain some training along with my IV certification. This is unexpected, but after casting my net in various places, a pharmacy director reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in working nights as an ED pharmacist. He assures me there is an extensive training program and that I will be invested in.

I can't comment on the ED portion of this (I'm only in there once a patient has been transferred to our ICU service), but what you're describing isn't necessarily as unheard of as you think.

Good people with great aptitude and capacity to learn are recruited frequently for roles that traditionally would require specialized training. Less so at large, level 1/tertiary care centers...more frequent at rural/small health systems that don't have medical residents. I'm one of these people... a PGY-1 grad that was transitioned to roles where PGY-2 programs exist. We've hired stellar students out of school, but we've had poor results recruiting from retail (but they're out there!)

The director knows exactly what they're getting by recruiting you.... someone with clearly a good personality that's a match for the culture (clearly someone sent your resume unsolicited to this director...that's huge, I would never do that unless I could vouch for someone), someone with roots in outpatient/retail pharmacy (you need to know the intricacies of where your patients are going after they're discharged), and someone who has shown a capacity to learn.

I'm excited for you... this is one of those big career changing/tilting opportunities that many retail/outpatient folks dream of (look at all of the "how do i get out of retail" threads on SDN vs. the number of "how do I get out of hospital and into retail?" threads), so cheers to you!

 

[sakigt]

I was hired straight out of school to work in the ER. I drove white knuckled to work every shift for a year. I read a lot, I asked a lot of questions (after researching myself) and opened myself up for criticism. I listened to podcasts and eventually bought EM:RAP.

You've been offered an escape from retail. Youll be forced to take breaks, will be on your feet but also sitting verifying orders. Don't worry about that stuff!

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Hey All. For the last year, I have been an overnight pharmacist at CVS (also working day shifts) and am looking to break into hospital. A month ago I did sort of a mini-hospital fellowship at my own expense to gain some training along with my IV certification. This is unexpected, but after casting my net in various places, a pharmacy director reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in working nights as an ED pharmacist. He assures me there is an extensive training program and that I will be invested in.

To be honest, I am sort of baffled by this. I was under the impression that ED pharmacy is a specialty area for which residency is normally required. I was only looking to find a general hospital slot, but apparently someone forwarded my resume to the pharm director of subject, and he is attempting to recruit me out of the blue. I really don't know the first thing about ED pharmacy (or why more qualified candidates are not available), but is there anyone on this forum who works this field? Has anyone worked as an ED pharmacist that can describe the job environment? Do you stay on your feet, similar to retail, rather than sit at a computer? Do you get any breaks to eat? Or is the ED similar to daytime retail, despite being hospital? Is the stress level insane?

Thanks in advance.

Take the plunge! What do you have to lose, really?

Retail's gaping maw is always going to be there, waiting.

Congrats!

 

[gwarm01]

I was hired straight out of school to work in the ER. I drove white knuckled to work every shift for a year. I read a lot, I asked a lot of questions (after researching myself) and opened myself up for criticism. I listened to podcasts and eventually bought EM:RAP.

You've been offered an escape from retail. Youll be forced to take breaks, will be on your feet but also sitting verifying orders. Don't worry about that stuff!

But... I thought it was impossible for a pharmacist to learn clinical material outside of a structured environment?!

There were some people on Reddit making that argument recently. It's sad that they think so little of themselves.

 

[sakigt]

But... I thought it was impossible for a pharmacist to learn clinical material outside of a structured environment?!

There were some people on Reddit making that argument recently. It's sad that they think so little of themselves.

People like that scare me. By definition they are outside a structured environment after their residencies. So you mean to tell me they are better prepared than the equivalent Pharmacist who continuously learns? Things change, new studies come out, new drugs are developed, new data on old ones come out. Cant just wait on guidelines every 10 years. Especially when you take roots and just work at one facility....

 

[ldiot]

Go for it. Residency is for suckers and your experience will be worth more than a residency for future opportunities.

 

[confettiflyer]

Go for it. Residency is for suckers and your experience will be worth more than a residency for future opportunities.

now now...just because he caught the express elevator doesn't make the people who take the stairs suckers.

 

[pharmdpharmd]

I am the de facto evening ED pharmacist (it supposed to be a rotation between clin pharmacists, but they r mostly women and don't like the setting/the hours, so I do most of them)

Here is what I do

1- med histories (a tech can do that, so no special knowledge required)
2- med reconciliation for admitted patients (slightly more complex, but a pharmacy student can do it)
3- help nursing with whatever (iv compounds, questions, timing of meds, etc. an experienced staff pharmacist can do easily)
4- help doctors ( you need access to Lexi, and know when to say I don't know, and you would be fine)
5- codes (need to have strong stomach, and good training)

I am residency trained, and it helps, but definitely NOT needed

What you really need is humility, willingness to learn, and able to play nice with other people-- Take the position

 

[PromisedNeverland]

Plot twist, it's an Erectile Dysfunction pharmacy


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are you a part time comedian /pharmacist?