I have started at a Psych Hospital Pharmacy as a Certified Pharmacy Tech (I am an LPN Student), for the most part the Nurses have been very nice and supportive towards my career endeavors. As with any place of work there are some bad apples. We don't use any Pyxis type system its all drawers and the like.
A couple of rants:
My Boss is the Pharmacy Director, he is = in statue to your Nurse Manager, I don't mess with him. Don't expect me to do something for you, and then play dumb when I tell you who my boss is. Would you Mess with your Nurse Manager? I don't think you would unless you like to risk losing your job on a daily basis.
I don't tell you how to do nursing processes, don't tell me how I should order a certain drug when its Non-Formulary, which leads me to......
If I don't have drug A, I simply can't substitute it with something similar without a WRITTEN MED ORDER from the MD or NP. For the same reason you don't give Tylenol 325 MG in place of Aspirin 325 MG per the Cardiologist. No Pharmacist with half a brain is going to put his or her license on the line over your crap.
Don't call down to the Pharmacy yelling at me like I am a dumby, Would you like the Doctor to treat you like that or even better your fellow nurses?
We save your ass on a daily basis, those sloppy Med Orders in handwritten or typed format, do contain errors at times, which you would not have the time to pick-up. Imagine if you had to do all the work we have to do down in the Pharmacy before you gave the Meds? Imagine if you had to physically walk down there and get the Meds. That said.....
You the Nurse are our last line of defense and have saved our ass a few times as well.
The Pharmacy Department will catch you if your diverting drugs (I know most Nurses don't do this, anyone can including the Pharmacy Dept.) you will mess up :trout:
The Med Room is an extension of the Pharmacy. No Eating in there, no hanging out in there, its strictly for Med Business. What if you spill your lunch on some Meds, that vary from $.05 a tablet to $5 a Tablet?? Your NM and the Pharmacy are going to be pissed, so is the Med Nurse. Do all your eating and nail filing, and internet searching somewhere else not in the Med Room.
These are a select few people.
Most Nurses at this facility have given me no problems at all.
Never under estimate the Pharmacy Tech who delivers the Meds. He or she can be your best friend. Some Nurses I leave notes reminding them where I put the Floor Stock Drugs (Things like Benadryl, APAP and Injectables), which save you a few minutes and a little less worry knowing that you have enough Haldol injections available in case the whole floor were to need them. Some Nurses I literally run away from, Pharmacy isn't a game, if your in your 50s and didn't learn what a Med Order is in Nursing School, then its time you reread that chapter!
It takes a dedicated Pharmacist to work in a hospital setting, mainly due to the pay rate. A Pharmacist might make $35-$40 an hour doing Hospital type work, where in retail pharmacy it can be from $45-$50 an hour.
drmorton2b
253 Posts
It takes a dedicated Pharmacist to work in a hospital setting, mainly due to the pay rate. A Pharmacist might make $35-$40 an hour doing Hospital type work, where in retail pharmacy it can be from $45-$50 an hour.