pharmacy and patient interaction

[gsinccom]

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What is going on here? Is their a chance to be involved in patient education and preventitive medicine? I keep hearing that with access to primary care MD/DO practicioners becoming less available that pharmacists are and will fill some of this role. How is this happening and how will it happen more? Isn't a PA and NP filling this role?

 

[Moxxie]

What is going on here? Is their a chance to be involved in patient education and preventitive medicine? I keep hearing that with access to primary care MD/DO practicioners becoming less available that pharmacists are and will fill some of this role. How is this happening and how will it happen more? Isn't a PA and NP filling this role?

Check out http://www.pfizercareerguides.com/default.asp?t=book&b=pharmacy

Also, look into the VA health care system. Pharmacists (if they go the clinical route) have a lot of autonomy at the VA; they can hold their own clinics and prescribe drugs (under the supervision of a physician). It's a neat system and unless retail ends up really calling to me I hope to do a residency there. One major note - clinical/hospital pharmacists DO NOT make as much as retail, but there are reasons (i.e. usually better benefits at a hospital and there is a bigger shortage in retail). 🙂

 

[kwizard]

What is going on here? Is their a chance to be involved in patient education and preventitive medicine? I keep hearing that with access to primary care MD/DO practicioners becoming less available that pharmacists are and will fill some of this role. How is this happening and how will it happen more? Isn't a PA and NP filling this role?

All of the various members of the healthcare team bring something different to the table. The Pharmacist brings a skill set to the table the is somewhat unique when compared to the NP/PA/RN and even the MD/DO (depending on level of expertise). We are the "so-called" drug experts. None of the other disciplines have this focus on pharmacotherapy. While they are all competent in drug therapy at varying levels to provide pt care, we as pharmacists focus on this more than any other profession.

Just about all healthcare institutions have turned to pharmacy departments to renally adjust the dosing for antibiotics and/or oversee anticoagulation for pts in inpt and outpt settings. The reason for this shift is b/c literature has shown that we can fulfill these roles better or just as good as other disciplines. Secondly other disciplines may be overwhelmed w/ pt loads and don't have the time to follow anticoag pts on a regular basis (mult times per week) so in the case of anticoag, less monitoring may result in labile INRs (i.e. increased risk for bleeding, cerebral hemmorhage, death, if the INR values are not kept within normal parameters). When it comes to dosing antbx the same could be said (pharmacist dosing typically leads to better therapeutic levels and less side effects/toxic dosing).

Patient education/preventive medicine...well don't forget the community pharmacist is typically the most accessible healthcare professional so easy access equals lots of potential for intervention. Main hurdle in community practice is that the information is for free (lack of ability to bill for service) so there hasn't been a concise manner to fiscally justify why it is more beneficial to have a pharmacist seeing pts vs licking/sticking and filling scripts. As a previous post said the VA system provides the most autonomy w/ scope of practice outlining prescribing priviliges. However, many states have adopted more restrictive forms of collaborative practive agreements. Pt interaction is what you make it.

If you really want 1:1 time w/ the pt in a clinical setting I'd either recommend the VA or a strong community pharmacy/hospital that has clinics already set up. How the role b/w the pharmacist/pt will begin to increase more will be largely dependent on the pharmacists' ability to bill for services (i.e. medication management). Everyone else sees pts b/c that is how they are paid. Until pharmacists are able to do this, it will be hard to fully reach our potential in private sector.

Hope this helps.

 

[gsinccom]

thanks for the info.

anyone else have thoughts on this topic?

I am not so much looking to fill the role of the MD/PA/NP but serve as an education source for healthy living/wellness as well as being the drug expert. Is this too much of a role to ask for if I were to work at Albertsons pharmacy or a community or outpatient clinic pharmacy?