Hospital pharmacy is a very competitive sector, if you look back ten years or so, most hospitals had pharmacists on the ‘shop floor’ undertaking traditional dispensing tasks, making it relatively easy for a retail pharmacist to switch between community pharmacy and hospital pharmacy. Nowadays the picture is very different with most dispensaries being technician-led….
With competition fierce for hospital pharmacy places, it is almost impossible make the switch.
What are the main skills of a hospital pharmacist? Many specialise in a variety of clinical areas, they provide treatment programmes for hospital patients working closely with prescribers. They work on the wards and provide specialist information services throughout the hospital but there is a danger that the traditional skills of empathy and patient focus can slip down the priority list. Clearly community pharmacists could learn much from hospital pharmacist, but equally could hospital pharmacists gain from spending time in a community pharmacy to hone their bedside manner.
What do you think about it? Did you have any bad experiences?
How can a hospital pharmacist been more charming?
How can a community pharmacist become a hospital pharmacist?