Role of the Pharmacist or Health Professional:
The preceptor who was a clinical pharmacist specializing in surgical care, had the responsibility of ensuring quality use of medicines (QUM) within the surgical wards. Monitoring patients’ medication regimens, reviewing medication charts, managing drug interactions and collaborating with the surgical team were all the responsibilities of the preceptor to optimize patient outcomes. One of the critical aspects of my preceptor's responsibilities was managing phosphate level, a crucial element in surgical patient care to maintain electrolyte balance and enhance the recovery process. The preceptor was also assigned with mentoring junior pharmacists, providing guidelines on clinical assessments, and ensuring that their performance align with clinical protocols. Further responsibilities included ensuring that the patients received appropriate supplementation, and disseminating the information related to the risks and benefits of phosphate usage within the team.
This is the reflection of the multi-dimensional aspect of clinical pharmacy, reinforcing the crucial need for pharmacists to deliver successful therapeutic process . The pharmacist is responsible to cater the critical drug therapy, adjustments of dosage, and managing drug interactions within the multidisciplinary team along with communicating with the doctors, nurses and other staff of healthcare team to ensure effective collaboration in patient care regularly. This placement inspired me to enhance my career goals further as the exposure exceeded expectations. Observing the preceptor's expertise and commitment to the duties along with the dedicated fulfilment of the responsibilities inspired associate with clinical pharmacy, particularly in specialized hospital settings. The preceptor displayed qualities of leadership and mentorship while guiding and handling complex cases, and established the importance of these values in clinical settings. This aspired my career goals to incorporate mentorship and leadership in my practices to provide support to other pharmacists in the future, which will ensure the quality use of medicine in specialized hospital settings.
