Transplant Pharmacist

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
D

DrgsRmyLife

Junior Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2006
Messages
33
Reaction score
1
I recently came across an opportunity for a fellowship in transplant. The area of transplant pharmacy is very interesting and complex and that is what intrigues me. This is why this fellowship is so appealing, but there are some questions to those who are in the field or have been there.

1. I will not have a residency at all if I get accepted, but the fellowship is a 2 year fellowship with the first 6 months or so being clinically trained and then when they believe I am ready I will begin the research stuff. Does anyone think that this would be enough experience and qualifications to get a job as a transplant pharmacist? Academia is ultimately where I want to be but having a clinical site or experience is something that I would want too.
2. How is the job outlook and salary? It is some what hard to find job postings, just a few here and there, and haven't really find anything on salary.
3. Do they find their job satisfying and worth the extra education?
4. Any personal opinions about the field in general would be great.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
Members don't see this ad.
 
I met one transplant pharmacist in my life. I wondered what she did....

I would think it's a very limited field...with limited number of hospitals with transplant service.
 
ItsOverZyvox said:
I met one transplant pharmacist in my life. I wondered what she did....

I would think it's a very limited field...with limited number of hospitals with transplant service.
Click to expand...

I think it is a growing field, and also believe some accreditation body for transplant centers are close to mandating or considering mandating some level of involvement of a pharmacist (not sure of the details, or whether there are loop holes that make it easy to get around).

If you were at a hospital with a highly active transplant program, I am sure a pharmacist could save a suit like you some money in that area; that's how you guys in the Administrative offices determine if clinical pharmacists are necessary anyway right?

Apparently, the discipline has been around for quite some time:

http://www.theannals.com/cgi/conten...INDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT (subscription or library access required)

But, you are correct, it has to be a small field, limited to those institutions that perform a large number of transplants.
 
Last edited:
Members don't see this ad :)
Priapism321 said:
I think it is a growing field, and also believe some accreditation body for transplant centers are close to mandating or considering mandating some level of involvement of a pharmacist (not sure of the details, or whether there are loop holes that make it easy to get around).

If you were at a hospital with a highly active transplant program, I am sure a pharmacist could save a suit like you some money in that area; that's how you guys in the Administrative offices determine if clinical pharmacists are necessary anyway right?

Apparently, the discipline has been around for quite some time:

http://www.theannals.com/cgi/conten...INDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT (subscription or library access required)

But, you are correct, it has to be a small field, limited to those institutions that perform a large number of transplants.
Click to expand...

Yup... if we can cost jusitify a pharmacist position, then we take it to the hospital administration and get it done...but having been to a number of hospitals and having assessed a few hospitals across the US, I haven't come across a situation where I felt "omg, this hospital needs a transplant pharmacist."

Again, you know I will promote clinical pharmacy anyway I can but I firmly believe you should be marketable. I just am not sure I can market myself as a transplant pharmacist and have the flexibility needed to get a job wherever I want.
 
I spent a couple days with a transplant pharmacist at a major academic institution on the east coast last summer. Their renal program has FOUR full time pharmacists. They rotate between medical and surgical - following patients immediately after transplant or later on when they return with various complications. It was pretty cool, but I work at a hospital that does a couple kidneys a month and we certainly don't need a FTE transplant pharmacist.
 
I work at a transplant hospital and have met many transplant pharmacists. I am also doing a transplant rotation so once it's done I can tell you about it!
 
I know USC has at least one transplant pharmacist on their cardiothoracic transplant team. He lectures 1st and 3rd years.
 
Currently a transplant pharmacy resident. CMS who certifies transplant programs for medicare money requires a pharmacist (cant remember the exact language) to see transplant patients on the inpatient setting post-transplant and prior to transplant during eval. Now I believe some programs have been getting around this by having a "floor" pharmacist and not a dedicated transplant pharmacist. Quite frankly there is not enough of us to go around. CMS recently audited our program and we got knocked for not having a pharmacist meet with each eval patient, and now they are looking at hiring 1 if not 2 more transplant pharmacists. We currently have 1 abdominal and one chest (heart/lung) plus me.

We currently round with the transplant teams, provide patient medication class twice weekly, attend outpatient clinics, perform protocol devolpment for immunusuppression, and help solve adherence and medication related issues among many other things. We do have to "cost justify" ourselves somewhat, but I would say it is easier than justifying some other positions like say ER because we deal with really expensive drugs. We save many doses of these drugs from being given on a daily basis. In addition, CMS (who gives the hospital money) want us there, and it is not good to have marks on a survey. There are some programs accross the country that hire pharmacists themselves, and it is not the pharmacy department.

Believe it or not my hospital does not even have an ID pharmacist, but we have 2 transplant pharmacists.
 
Bigpharmd

How did you decide what residency programs to apply to for pgy1/2? Are there any hospitals/regions that are good for transplant pharmacy that you would reccommend I do a rotation at?
 
rahul129 said:
Bigpharmd

How did you decide what residency programs to apply to for pgy1/2? Are there any hospitals/regions that are good for transplant pharmacy that you would reccommend I do a rotation at?
Click to expand...
bigpharmD was last seen: Dec 27, 2010

I don't think you're going to get an answer in an ancient thread from someone who hasn't logged in this decade.
 
I did a transplant rotation at Cedars and it was a setting where "teamwork" really came through. Try to attend the discussions where they review waitlists and go over qualifications, they're very interesting and informative. The rotation is more demanding than others, so go prepared. Transplant is amazing.
 
ExpressMaiL said:
I did a transplant rotation at Cedars and it was a setting where "teamwork" really came through. Try to attend the discussions where they review waitlists and go over qualifications, they're very interesting and informative. The rotation is more demanding than others, so go prepared. Transplant is amazing.
Click to expand...
That does sound interesting, but doesn't really sound like it has anything to do with pharmacy. Be careful to avoid falling in love with the parts of a job you only get to do as a student.
 
ExpressMaiL said:
Fall in love with whatever you want. Don't let this guy tell you otherwise.
Click to expand...
You are correct.

However, there are a lot of students who want to get a job like the one their preceptor has at a big fancy hospital where they did an amazing rotation. They work for years to get that job at that hospital. They take pay cuts to do residencies. And eventually they find out that the person they thought was working for a hospital was really working for their school and the job they wanted doesn't really exist.

There are unicorn jobs out there, but pharmacy students need to learn to critically evaluate them.
 
zelman said:
You are correct.

However, there are a lot of students who want to get a job like the one their preceptor has at a big fancy hospital where they did an amazing rotation. They work for years to get that job at that hospital. They take pay cuts to do residencies. And eventually they find out that the person they thought was working for a hospital was really working for their school and the job they wanted doesn't really exist.

There are unicorn jobs out there, but pharmacy students need to learn to critically evaluate them.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you know someone who experienced this personally. I hope everything worked out.

Anyways, if someone really did all that to get a "job" that a preceptor had before due diligence, that's on them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Informatics Pharmacist
Replies
1
Views
2K
gwarm01
G
C
Emergency Room Pharmacist
Replies
12
Views
2K
KidPharmD
KidPharmD
R
Physician, Pharmacist or Grocery Store at fault?
Replies
6
Views
2K
Pronounce Doxazosin
P
Caverject
Local Georgia Pharmacist wants to buy Greenland and rename it….
Replies
0
Views
1K
Caverject
Caverject
P
Immunizing pharmacist CVS
Replies
0
Views
2K
pharmdeep
P
Top