In my interview with a pharmacist, I learned some of the complexities of the field and the responsibilities associated with this important role. Pharmacists face numerous challenges and pose many questions in their roles that are related to filling prescriptions and taking orders, some of which require further clarification. It is important for pharmacists to act in a professional manner at all times and create an environment in which they can achieve excellence at the highest possible level to promote patient safety. These actions support the continued development of new approaches to streamline activities related to filling prescriptions, confirming orders, and other areas which patients rely on when they obtain medications.
Body
Pharmacists fill prescriptions based upon the orders that are received, many of which arrive simultaneously from a variety of different sources. It is the responsibility of the pharmacist to evaluate each order, to confirm any inconsistencies, and to ask any questions which require further clarification. Each prescription should have the patient’s name, the type of medication and its strength, the dose required by the physician, the physician’s name, the number of refills available, and the expiration date of the medication. Labeling is critical for pharmacists and any errors or inconsistencies must be clarified as quickly as possible to prevent dispensing any medications which could have a detrimental impact on patients. This process requires pharmacists to make many phone calls to physician offices to clarify orders, to determine if some medications, if not in stock, could be ordered in a different formula such as generics, and if there is any missing information which could compromise patient health in any way.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Interview with a Pharmacist".
The pharmacist also noted that he is part of a collaborative team effort, including primary care providers, to ensure that patient safety is optimized and is strengthened by the actions of each team member (Morgan, Pullon, & McKinlay, 2015). This reflects the importance of addressing patients who have chronic health conditions so that their comprehensive needs are met, thereby requiring extensive communication among team members to ensure that patient safety is maximized (Morgan et al., 2015). Despite the efforts made by the pharmacist, there are occasional breakdowns in communication which impact the entire team and which have a negative impact on outcomes; therefore, these issues must be considered to reduce barriers and other limitations which impact patient care and safety (Supper, Lustman, Chemla, Bourgueil, & Letrilliart, 2015). These efforts require continuous communication and monitoring to ensure that patients receive the appropriate care, treatment, and medications as appropriate to accommodate their health conditions in an effective manner (Supper et al., 2015).
Furthermore, the efforts to collaborate among pharmacists, physicians, and nurses is important to minimize medication errors, particularly when medications are classified as high-alert and can cause significant harm to patients (Engels & Ciarkowski, 2015). These factors are essential to the discovery of new ideas and frameworks to reduce patient risks and to encourage the development of collaborative tools to improve patient outcomes related to medication administration for patients on a routine basis (Engels & Ciarkowski, 2015).
Conclusion
The pharmacist interview was enlightening and provided additional insight regarding the risks and challenges of this role. As part of a larger multidisciplinary team, pharmacists play a significant role in ensuring that they minimize medication errors and other risks which impact patients, along with expanding their knowledge and resources to accommodate patient needs effectively. Communication across the team is critical in this process and demonstrates that pharmacists take their roles very seriously and can be effective in achieving their goals in providing patients with medications that will improve their health and wellbeing with as few risks as possible.
- Engels, M. J., & Ciarkowski, S. L. (2015). Nursing, pharmacy, and prescriber knowledge and
perceptions of high-alert medications in a large, academic medical hospital. Hospital
Pharmacy, 50(4), 287-300. - Morgan, S., Pullon, S., & McKinlay, E. (2015). Observation of interprofessional collaborative
practice in primary care teams: an integrative literature review. International Journal of
Nursing Studies, 52(7), 1217-1230. - Supper, I., Catala, O., Lustman, M., Chemla, C., Bourgueil, Y., & Letrilliart, L. (2015).
Interprofessional collaboration in primary health care: a review of facilitators and barriers
perceived by involved actors. Journal of Public Health, 37(4), 716-727.
