Hometown Hospital

Posted by Eric Zhao at Monday, April 30, 2012

Last month, I was with Providence Park Hospital in Novi, MI. If you have the fortunate opportunity to do a rotation in your hometown and live with your parents, do it. Coming home to homecooked meals and some family loving is a nice relief from the Totino's pizza and shenanigans associated with the typical college lifestyle.

Providence Park Hospital, Novi, MI

This was no ordinary institutional rotation, however. Each week had a different theme to provide exposure to the varied aspects of a hospital pharmacist.

Week 1: Made IVs in the clean room, delivered controlled substances, dealt with medication shortages, assessed/restocked inventory, and packaged medications.

Providence's USP 797-compliant Cleanroom

Week 2: Dosed-adjusted for the pharmacokinetics/anticoagulation service. We monitored for aminoglycoside/vancomycin levels and initiated/adjusted heparin, warfarin, dabigatran, fondaparinux, and rivaroxaban doses.

Week 3: Assisted metabolic support services through ordering appropriate parenteral nutrition. Rounded in the intensive-care unit (ICU). This part of the rotation is like a mini critical care rotation!

 ICU Rounds

Week 4: Attended a Pharmacy and Therapeutics meeting at Providence Hospital in Southfield. Gave a journal club presentation on the potential use of rivaroxaban in the treatment of pulmonary embolism. Spent a day in the Operating Room and viewed implementation of a bone-assisted hearing aid, a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and a hemicolectomy. 

 

Bone-assisted Hearing Aid

 

Hemicolectomy

(I will spare you the graphic photos, but feel free to google it)

All in all, a great rotation that far exceeded my expectations. Highly recommended. A+++! Would rotate again.

Eric Zhao