Hospital pharmacy
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Pharmacy departments in community hospitals frequently function as teaching sites for the externship component of the pharmacy curriculum. With the entry-level doctor of pharmacy degree replacing the bachelor of science degree at several colleges of pharmacy, the use of community hospitals as sites for experiential education will undoubtedly increase. This article explores the role of the director of pharmacy in providing an optimal environment for experiential education to take place. The following topics are emphasized: maximizing the usefulness of the hospital pharmacy department as a teaching site; fulfilling the needs and requirements of the college, the hospital pharmacy, and the student; and using educational methods that promote student learning without placing unacceptable demands upon the director's time.
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Committees serve as an ideal forum for members of an organizaton to exchange views and information. If managed effectively, they can be utilized to generate ideas and to provide sound recommendations to the pharmacy manager. This article describes a personnel management program in which all levels of pharmacy personnel are provided with several opportunities to actively participate and contribute to the establishment and attainment of departmental objectives. ⋯ The comprehensive program permits each member of the pharmacist staff to spend approximately 5-10% of their time participating in the three above-mentioned activities. This personnel management approach has had a positive effect on the role of the entire staff and has enabled all levels of employees to get involved and contribute to departmental services and hospital issues. Most importantly, it has successfully provided a stimulus to the staff to pursue avenues of professional specialization.
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Use of oral syringes at children's and ASHP-accredited residency hospitals in the United States was surveyed. Questionnaires were mailed to 131 hospitals; 117 (89.3%) were returned. Of the responding hospitals, 54.5% of children's hospitals and 67.1% of residency hospitals used oral syringes. ⋯ The remainder reported use for specific medications or circumstances. Expiration dating policies varied from 24 hours to one year to the manufacturer's expiration dating. The survey indicates widespread use of oral syringes and identifies a need for evaluation of medication stability in these devices.