Volunteering in a hospital pharmacy?

[newslang]

I would love to volunteer in a hospital pharmacy since it seems to be the part of pharmacy I'm most passionate about. I feel like if I call up a hospital pharmacy and just ask to volunteer they might get be sketched out by that. I plan on doing this over the summer, at which point I will have a year of pre-pharmacy curriculum completed and probably my pharmacy tech certificate as well. I probably won't have any actual pharmacy experience though (strange sequence of events, I know). I am 22 years old.

My two questions are: What should I say when I call the hospital? And what exactly will they have me doing if I am successfull in being recruited as a volunteer?

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[ZpackSux]

Call the hospital volunteer coordinator and see if you can be placed in the pharmacy. Or you can call the pharmacy and ask the pharmacy manager or director if you can volunteer.

 

[sdn1977]

My opinion....get your foot in the door first.

What do you say to the coordinator? I'd like to volunteer in the hospital. What positions do you have available? Take anything at all - the more patient centered the better. When you are in, you have an ability to befriend or go by the pharmacy to introduce yourself, etc...When you feel comfortable enough....ask about pharmacy possibilities.

If you say you want pharmacy & they don't have a position, you risk losing out on a volunteer experience.

What will they have you do? Routine & mundane stuff - things which don't require any specialized knowledge or ability. That can change though with experience.

So - my opinion is - get experience any way you can.

Good luck!

 

[gaku]

I checked expiration date for the meds for a year.

 

[newslang]

I checked expiration date for the meds for a year.

Did you have oppurtunities to learn as well?

 

[ZpackSux]

Did you have oppurtunities to learn as well?

you don't think checking for expiration dates can be a valuable learning experience?

 

[sdn1977]

I still have to check exp dates!

What's up with that - I'm assigned ICU - lots of drugs there!

That's the unpleasant, but necessary part of the job.

 

[pharms]

I would love to volunteer in a hospital pharmacy since it seems to be the part of pharmacy I'm most passionate about. I feel like if I call up a hospital pharmacy and just ask to volunteer they might get be sketched out by that. I plan on doing this over the summer, at which point I will have a year of pre-pharmacy curriculum completed and probably my pharmacy tech certificate as well. I probably won't have any actual pharmacy experience though (strange sequence of events, I know). I am 22 years old.

My two questions are: What should I say when I call the hospital? And what exactly will they have me doing if I am successfull in being recruited as a volunteer?

It may help if you can acquire a pharm tech license or at least have one pending.

 

[genesis09]

It may help if you can acquire a pharm tech license or at least have one pending.

You don't need a tech license to volunteer in a hospital pharmacy. I started volunteering in a hospital pharmacy when I was 15, a year before I could even obtain the license.

 

[kaffeeine]

If I were you, I'd find a Veteran's Affair (VA) hospital and volunteer there. You get to do and experience more things there than at a regular pharmacy (i.e. do customer service (they have a bulletproof window!), fill prescriptions, etc...the pharmacist checks your filling so everything's in check.) You can find them online...just finda VA hospital and the section for volunteer services. They love accepting new volunteers. They have an in-patient & an out-patient pharmacy. When you find the number, just be yourself and tell/ask them what you want to do. Hope this helps.