As first year pharmacy students, we had a great opportunity last Thursday being exposed to guest speakers from varied pharmacy career paths. The guest pharmacy speaker panel experience positively impacted my knowledge of the career options and professional development in the pharmacy profession. During this event, I had the chance to learn more about the aspects of retail pharmacy as well as the hospital pharmacy practices. My interest in retail pharmacy stems from my experience as a pharmacy technician for almost six months thus far. I have the chance to always observe how the pharmacists serve their patients and community; they are willing to provide advice on health-related issues, and medications, and refer patients to other sources of help and care, such as physicians, when necessary. The guest speaker representing the …show more content…
The guest speaker representing hospital pharmacy discussed how both the physicians and nurses in the hospital setting use the pharmacist as a very respected source of drug information and interactions. The guest speaker went further explaining the counseling role of the hospital pharmacist as they get to directly counsel patients while in the hospital to make sure they understand their medication therapies. He explained that the hospital pharmacy practice is comprised of other specialized practices such as pediatrics, oncology, and ambulatory care. In addition, hospital pharmacists are in charge of monitoring the advanced systems used by most hospitals these days for drug distribution and assurance to make sure that each patient is receiving the right medication in the correct dosage, form, and at the right time as well. They are responsible for maintain patients’ records to be able to refill their medications when needed and to check continuously for any drug allergies or possible side