Day in the life of
Pharmacist Intern – Vivian Liu
I work from 6:00am – 2:30pm or 2:30pm – 11:00pm. Right when I come in, I check on any IVs that need to be made within the next 30-60 minutes. Those are the most important since they are time-sensitive and may take some time to make depending on what they are and the quantity. I will then go into the IV room to make them. Next, I will check on any non-IV orders that need to be labelled, checked, and delivered such as inhalers, creams, eye drops, etc. I will then go up the floors that I am assigned to that day and make sure every single patient has the correct medications and orders in their cassettes and that nothing is expired or discontinued.
Throughout the day, I am compounding various IV orders and also filling/restocking the Pyxis (fast-moving/commonly ordered medications are stocked in this machine (usually 1 per unit) that allows nurses to remove any meds due for the patient to take). I have a phone on me that nurses from my assigned floors can call throughout the day to request any medications/IV bags or if they have any drug-related questions.
Compounding the IV bags takes up most of my time during each shift. Each time we enter the IV room, we need to follow protocol with garbing up and then prepping the materials needed for compounding. After compounding (some medications take longer to dilute than others), we need to log in every vial and bag used to make the IV bag. We then need to have the IV bags checked by the pharmacist to ensure that everything was used and made correctly.
I also have other shifts apart from this shift that are a little bit different. During the clinical shift (8:00am – 4:30pm), I perform medication interventions and antibiotic stewardship to ensure labs and microbio results are coming back at normal levels for patients on antibiotics or high-risk medications. During the medication reconciliation shift (4 hour shift any time), I am speaking with the patient/pharmacies/nursing homes/next-of-kin regarding each patient’s home medications so that we are administering the correct maintenance medications to them during their hospital admission.
As an intern, I also help to administer flu shots to hospital staff during flu season.
Pros
The pharmacy team that I work with is the best. The pharmacists are so patient, kind, and amazing at what they do. I always have a blast working with them as well as my fellow pharmacy interns and awesome pharmacy technicians. I also love that at my hospital, I have the opportunity to do so many things as an intern – not just typical technician duties. It is a very well-rounded and fulfilling experience.
Cons
Inconsistent work schedule. You can work any day of the week + any shift (though we try not to schedule you back to back for an AM shift if you just completed a PM shift)
