We had smoking cessation training and it was approved by the state and county as a valid training.
I rarely am in the IV room, it was only an example. Of all the things I listed, that's probably the only thing I do not do on a regular basis. As Delano mentioned, I am a CA licensed CPhT and I do work as a pharmacy technician in a retail pharmacy, and have for many months now, so I am experienced, and my supes know that.
The majority of my 'job' is smoking cessation, clinical interventions tracking, and assisting the lead technicians / pharmacists with tasks they need accomplished.
I said it was a sweet gig! I know a lot of volunteers who can't do crap besides stock shelves, if they're lucky.
Our hospital's never had a liability issue, although not all volunteers have the freedom I do for two reasons; 1. I've been there forever with a **** ton of hours logged, and 2. I'm a technician and they are not.
I don't actually
do clinical interventions. No, not at all. I enter the interventions that a given Pharmacist (and consults also) caught into an Excel db for quarterly (sometimes more often) presentation on which MDs were responsible for the most interventions and which ones (auto-sub, P&T violation, non formulary, wrong dose, wrong pt, etc).
As far as smoking cessation goes, our training has gotten us to the level of what the interns were doing. We were supervised for three patient visits by the pharmacist (whomever is "leading" us) and then 3 visits w/ a pharmacy resident (graduate from pharmacy school doing PGY residency). Once they feel we're comfortable with getting onto the pt floor by ourselves, we do... but bear in mind, not
all volunteers do this. Only a few of us have been granted the option and opportunity to do it, and it's actually becoming really popular (I hear other bay area hospitals are starting to do it also). It takes the load off the already overworked residents. I can't modify pt charts. I need to page a resident for that - As well as adding Nicoderm to a pt med order requires a page for the resident. I'd be happy to PM you more information about our program, maybe you could suggest it to a clin.pharm in your hospital.
Even with the handicaps I've got in those respects, I am grateful for what I've got, recognizing that at other hospitals, the amount of restriction is really stifling. Hopefully all of this exp. comes in handy for interviews.
You do all that as a volunteer? Your hospital must not take liability very seriously. I just can't see the repercussions of a volunteer adding the wrong amount of something and causing harm to a patient. At the VA hospital I volunteer at, I can't even get in the door of the inpatient pharmacy by myself, let alone prepare an IV.
How can you be able to GIVE smoking cessation consults to patients, not even being an intern or even accepted to a pharmacy school yet? You really know nothing about the subject on a clinical level, same for clinical interventions. It's cool that you get to do all that, it's just very surprising, all things considered.
