As a staff pharmacist, I often feel very rewarded in my job. I verify orders, change orders accordingly, and get the medication to the patient as quickly as possible. Being staff gives me a wide variety of areas to work in, including that of critical care units, IV rooms, cardiology, internal medicine, and so on. We go through the day, making recommendations for patients, quickly going through them, with no effect. When we're done with our 8-10 hour days, we're out the door without another thought.
Last night, I was at a church event, when a friend close to mine suddenly had to be rushed to the hospital. Being the only person even remotely related to healthcare in the room, the pastor called on me to assist- but I really had no idea why he was so short of breath, so suggested they take him to the hospital. I mean, as pharmacists, we're not really called to diagnose- we have the diagnosis in front of us, and we're just called to give our recommendations based on that diagnosis- easy enough. And we go through hundreds of patients a day- but we don't know these people. To me, each patient is just another person to me- however, last night, when it was a friend, it hit me pretty hard, and I felt troubled the rest of the night that I didn't know what was happening to him.
Back a little while ago, the AMA published an article defining the scope of practice of a pharmacist. In return, the national boards of pharmacy fired back their responses, found
here. With the whole PPMI theme rolling around, I wonder how our scope of practice will change. And I wonder how receptive other medical staff will be to this practice.
But beyond that, after last night's events, it made me wonder- how come, as pharmacists, we are not trying to get more involved in our community? I'm taking public health classes currently, through an online program, and a lot of the focus is how there is a lack of recognition of the dire need the community is in, and how we need to recognize it as healthcare professionals. A lot of the problems and effects of lack of healthcare are not due to the availability of the programs, but that of the mental state the community is in, in the division between socioeconomic levels, based on wealth and race. As pharmacists, we have the power to really break down this division, helping out at local clinics, homeless shelters, and our community. I realized last night that being in pharmacy not only requires a life within the hospital, but that in the community. Pharmacy needs to be applied outside the work parameters of the hospital, amongst everyone in your life and in your community. We are lucky enough to be taught this knowledge; what's holding us back from distributing to our community?
What are your ways in being involved in the community and how is pharmacy close to your heart?