Pharmacists Consultant

[PharmEm]

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I know that one of the many avenues that a pharmacist can take is being a consultant, which I heard was a fairly new field. Can anyone tell me what this job is about? Day-to-day activites, who they can work for, the demand, the salary, future outlook, etc. Thanks a bunch.

 

[jdpharmd?]

I know that one of the many avenues that a pharmacist can take is being a consultant, which I heard was a fairly new field. Can anyone tell me what this job is about? Day-to-day activites, who they can work for, the demand, the salary, future outlook, etc. Thanks a bunch.

/Quick reply on, because I have an exam tomorrow.

I have a friend in nursing home pharmacy consulting around here, and it's a case of one large giant firm trying to bid the lowest to get all the homes.

The work is pretty interesting (ZERO dispensing tasks), but dealing with the nursing staff all day and being on "their turf" can get on anyone's nerves. The hours are flexable (the person I know works 2 days/week). Usually it requires some sort of advanced training (i.e. residency, and BCPS). 👍

 

[baggywrinkle]

/Quick reply on, because I have an exam tomorrow.

I have a friend in nursing home pharmacy consulting around here, and it's a case of one large giant firm trying to bid the lowest to get all the homes.

The work is pretty interesting (ZERO dispensing tasks), but dealing with the nursing staff all day and being on "their turf" can get on anyone's nerves. The hours are flexable (the person I know works 2 days/week). Usually it requires some sort of advanced training (i.e. residency, and BCPS). 👍

I did it for a while in Colorado and think it would be boring as a steady diet.
My position was a sideline to regular hospital duties for a skilled nursing facility
floor. I don't believe anything I wrote was actually read by anyone. It was just to keep the JCAH folks happy.

Expect some travel in the position. Chart review a few days, on to the next nursing home.

 

[LVPharm]

I'm in the middle of a LTC rotation, going out with the consultant pharmacists to various skilled nursing facilities/assisted living. Interesting work, doing some detective work by looking through charts looking for drugs without indications, potential interactions, inappropriate dosing, patients being kept too long on certain medications, etc. The hours are very flexible...one of the consultants I'm with likes the fact that she can spend extra time with her 4 kids. Depending on the facilities you go to, it can be a rather smelly and noisy experience...patients howling, wandering the halls, approaching you as you are going through charts, occasional odor of feces and urine (But some of the assisted living places are rather posh and pleasant facilities). Just yesterday, a patient came up to me and the consultant and started singing...we just sorta ignored her and continued to look through charts.

For more info on consultant pharmacy, go here: http://www.ascp.com/public/student/