The Evolving Role of a Pharmacist: What You Need to Know - Research Paper

Introduction

The role of a pharmacist is changing. During an interview I had with Dr Hensic, a naval pharmacist, it was to my dismay that a pharmacist does more than I had expected. Gone are the days when their major work was just counting and prescribing drugs. They have to get to know and understand their customers' background. Pharmacists are coached to understand their customers as patients and serve them in the most effective way possible.

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A pharmacist has to work within laws to ensure that the right drugs are supplied. It is their role to ensure that the medicines are of the right quality and to prescribe drugs suitably according to the patient's condition and health status. Additionally, it is a pharmacist's role to answer a patient's questions, to give advises on how to take drugs effectively, and give advice on the possible reactions to expect after taking the medicine.

A pharmacist in a hospital has to communicate and share information with doctors and nurses among other healthcare administrators for them to make good drug purchasing decisions, dispensing medication and monitoring drug therapy.

A pharmacist has to be open-minded and non-judgmental in nature to best do this job. For example, when I was at the pharmacy, a young lady came in and explained the condition of her husband, Dr.Hensic had to ask a few questions concerning her condition as well before she could prescribe a drug. I realized that one unique thing in the job life of a pharmacist is that you are not a pharmacist if you lack good communication skills, patience, flexibility, and ability to ascertain others. It is useful to know that these unique skills are very useful to live with since you will be able to live a free life with people around you, communicate better, and most importantly, help the community fight diseases, quite amazing.

Clinical Nurse Specialist - CDR Elrod

I learnt a lot during an interview with a naval clinical nurse CDR Elrod. I realized that nursing is a profession where a lot of ethical issues are involved. Nurses are charged to work within the lines of high standards of ethics in keeping safe patients' health information including test results, and all other data related to a patient. They also have to incorporate high level patience and heighten the ability to abide by the law guiding their work at all time.

Clinical nurse roles include administering medication, assessing a patient's condition, updating patient records, setting IVs, providing emotional support, and educating patients on how to manage their illness, even though, sometimes your duties as a clinical nurse may vary based on your place of work.

Nurses have to maintain high professional standards in all they do, be it keeping records, attending to a patient, meeting or just conversing with a patient, they always have to do it in an ethical manner applying the best of their skills at all time. Although laws are guiding clinical nurses in their daily duties, the high need for ethics and self-consciousness in this role forms the most unique part. Nurses have to deal with all patients with tolerance, care and love. I realized that it is not a walk in the park giving care with love and at all the time to people with deteriorating health conditions, it needs more than a big heart and deep patience.

Clinical nurses interact greatly with all other healthcare administrators. They work hand in hand with both the doctors and the pharmacists, helping patients through the healing process by helping administer drugs as prescribed by pharmacists. They also work hand in hand with doctors as both of them do clinical judgment only that a doctor has the final say; what is called collaborative care.