Hospital Pharmacy
- Patient rooms are divided into groups called nursing units or patient care units; patients with similar problems are often located on the same unit.
Hospital Technician Roles
- Hospital pharmacy technicians have many roles and responsibilities and are often cross trained to work in different areas of the pharmacy.
Hospital Pharmacy Areas
- The inpatient pharmacy is responsible for medication preparation and distribution.
Hospital Formulary
- Since hospitals cannot stock every medication available, most have a hospital formulary, which is a list of medications the pharmacy keeps on its shelves and from which doctors can order.
Communications and Computer Systems
- There are several ways the pharmacy communicates with other areas of the hospital, including telephones, fax machines, computerized printouts, pneumatic tubes, and in person.
Medical Records
- Medical records are detailed chronological accounts of a patient's medical history and care received. The medical record may be in the form of a paper chart or electronic system.
Medication Orders
- In the hospital, all drugs ordered for a patient are written on a medication order form or are electronically entered through a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system.
Order Processing
- When preparing a medication, the technician must pay close attention to the drug name, dosage form, concentration or strength, quantity, and expiration date; and for IV's, solution and volume.
Inventory Control
- To assist in the process of ordering inventory, par levels are assigned to each drug. Par is the quantity of drug that should be kept on the pharmacy shelf or in automated dispensing systems.
Organization of Medications
- In hospital pharmacies, medications are organized in alphabetical order using generic names.
Unit Dose System
- In the hospital, medications are often packed in individual packets that contain the amount of medication needed for each individual dose, unit dose.
Sterile Products
- Technicians may be responsible for preparing small and large volume parenteral, parenteral nutrition therapy, and chemotherapy.
General Hospital Issues
- Needles or other items that may cut or puncture the skin should always be thrown away in designated sharps containers.
Hospital Pharmacy Calculations
- Hospital pharmacy technicians perform many calculations on a daily basis, all of which are critically important to a patient's health and safety. Some examples include calculations for preparing small volume parenterals, calculations for timing medications, and flow rate calculation.
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