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- Jan 26, 2008
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Let's be honest here. I am a P4 pharmacy student and I worked in many different kinds of pharmacy settings (hospital and retail). For most part, pharmacy job does not require much thinking. In order to be a good or "smart" pharmacist, you need to have a different kind of intelligent (you do not need to be good in math or science). You just need to pay attention to small detail, follow good directions and have common sense. For example, the person who makes little mistakes working in a store, restaurant, bar and etc, will be a good pharmacist.
Who is a "smart" pharmacist? It is not the person who knows a lot of drugs, math or science. It is the person who makes little mistakes.
99% of the mistakes that I have seen are common sense mistakes such as in my hospital forgetting to put a stop date on antibiotic or warfarin, forgetting to change the statins to QPM, wrongfully reading the doctor's handwriting and selecting a wrong drug, dose or patient, forgetting to sent bulk drugs or medication profile to the floor and etc. The people who are detailed oriented and have common sense intelligent tend to make the least mistakes and are seen by everyone as a "smart" pharmacist even though a lot those "smart pharmacist" don't know much about the drugs or the therapy.
I belong to the "dumb pharmacist" category. Even though, I know a lot of about drugs and science more than my peers, but I occasionally have brain fart and I make stupid mistakes.
This is the truth about pharmacy job.
Who is a "smart" pharmacist? It is not the person who knows a lot of drugs, math or science. It is the person who makes little mistakes.
99% of the mistakes that I have seen are common sense mistakes such as in my hospital forgetting to put a stop date on antibiotic or warfarin, forgetting to change the statins to QPM, wrongfully reading the doctor's handwriting and selecting a wrong drug, dose or patient, forgetting to sent bulk drugs or medication profile to the floor and etc. The people who are detailed oriented and have common sense intelligent tend to make the least mistakes and are seen by everyone as a "smart" pharmacist even though a lot those "smart pharmacist" don't know much about the drugs or the therapy.
I belong to the "dumb pharmacist" category. Even though, I know a lot of about drugs and science more than my peers, but I occasionally have brain fart and I make stupid mistakes.
This is the truth about pharmacy job.