
As a clinical pharmacist, every day is centered around ensuring patients receive the best possible care through safe and effective medication management. Unlike traditional pharmacists, who may spend their day filling prescriptions, clinical pharmacists are deeply involved in patient care teams, working closely with doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to optimize treatment plans. Clinical Pharmacists spend more time meeting with patients and discussing their medication, building connections to better understand their patients and working very closely with Primary Care Providers. Each day is filled with opportunities to make a real difference in patients’ lives.
In this blog, we’ll take you through a typical day as a clinical pharmacist, offering a glimpse into the critical work behind the scenes in a clinic and pharmacy.
At GHC-SCW, Clinical Pharmacists and Retail Pharmacists rotate between roles. Retail Pharmacists are the people you’d typically see behind the pharmacy counter, filling prescriptions and having quick discussions with patients about their prescriptions. Clinical Pharmacists, on the other hand, meet directly with patients in a clinic setting.
Each day begins with a team huddle to discuss who is on staff that day, go through any changes, and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Then the day begins.
No day is the same for Clinical Pharmacists. Still, the work is consistently filled with responding to messages, reaching out to patients with new medications, scheduling appointments and meeting with patients face to face.
The heart of a clinical pharmacist’s role lies in these interactions—listening to patients and ensuring that the prescribed treatments are effective and safe. Appointments throughout the day consist of teaching patients how to use blood pressure monitors, Diabetes Focus Visits, appropriate monitoring and dosage of statin medications and educating patients about their medications.
Diabetes Focus Visits
These one-hour appointments are for patients with type 2 diabetes. This is where the clinical pharmacist ensures they get the preventative care they need, including regular exams, making any necessary lifestyle changes, educating patients on injectable medications, and teaching them how to use their glucose monitors. These visits are crucial to these patients and give them the one-on-one time they need to ask questions and get acquainted with their treatment plans.
GHC-SCW has been staffing Clinical Pharmacists for 10 years and was the first healthcare organization in the area to move Pharmacists to a clinical setting. The benefits have been significant, improving patient care with more time to educate patients on health care treatments such as hypertension and diabetes management. Having in-clinic pharmacists has also freed up access to Primary Care Providers, giving them more time to see patients for other healthcare appointments.
GHC-SCW has one Clinical Pharmacist staffed at each clinic location, Monday – Friday, 8:30-5:00, with one Pharmacy Tech supporting the Pharmacists.
Visit the Pharmacy page on our website for more information about our clinics, Pharmacists and to schedule an appointment.