Hospital Pharmaxy programs are an opportunity to develop your pharmacotherapy knowledge and pharmaceutical care skills in a clinical setting. You will learn the specific challenges of pharmacy operations in hospitals and how these influence patient outcomes.

During the program you will attend weekly structured lectures in a clinical setting on topics related to hospital pharmacy practice. This will include lectures on pediatric pharmacotherapy, formulary systems, and technology in healthcare.

You will also participate in a variety of practical activities in the hospital pharmacies to gain hands-on experience with the different pharmacy services that are provided. These include:

preparing and dispensing drugs to the hospital’s departments, including preparation of parenteral and enteral nutrition products, interpreting results of measuring drug concentrations in patients to optimise medication efficacy and minimise toxicity, carrying out medication reconciliation on admission and during changes in level of care, assessing and reporting adverse reactions to medicines to the hospital P&T committee and assisting with formulary decision making in hospital pharmacies.

Beyond Medications: The Vital Role of Hospital Pharmacy Programs in Patient Care

Managing the medications for thousands of patients per year requires highly specialized skills. Hospital pharmacists are responsible for ensuring that the 7 ‘rights’ of medicine are respected – right patient, right dose, right route, right time, right drug with the right information and documentation. They also work in multidisciplinary teams with doctors and nurses to advise on prescribing and address medicines-related problems. They also carry out compounding and manufacturing when ready-made preparations are not available. Finally, they are involved in the development of procedures to ensure safe, efficient and economical distribution of medicines within the hospital.