Pharmacy Informatics is one of the fasted growing areas in Pharmacy. We are often asked by our Candidates how to become an Informatics Pharmacist. Be aware that the minimum experience required is at least 1-2 years in an acute care hospital pharmacy. It is essential to have this experience to really understand the work flow in the pharmacy department and the hospital. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to move directly from Retail into a Pharmacy Informatics position in a hospital.
-Most of the Informatics Pharmacists we work with have been lucky enough to already work at a hospital that is implementing an EMR/CPOE system (EPIC, Meditech, Cerner Millennium, etc..). They were the pharmacist in the department that showed the most aptitude and interest in being involved in the implementation, and either asked to work on it, or was assigned it by the Director. The hospital usually sent them for vendor training in the specific EMR being implemented. The training may, or may not, have included Certifications.
-Others have become an Informatics Pharmacists through a set career path and training. They were exposed to informatics during their 4th year clinical rotations and decided to pursue a PGY2 in Pharmacy Informatics. There are currently 10 ASHP accredited PGY2 Pharmacy Informatics Residencies and several more that are not accredited by ASHP. Keep in mind that you must first complete a PGY1 Residency to be accepted into any PGY2 Residency.
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I'd like to offer yet another point of view from a student's perspective:
ReplyDeleteOften times the technology we're implementing within our health systems affects technician workflow as much (or more) than pharmacist workflow.
Many pharmacists never worked as technicians.
If you're currently a technician (or better, a student), therein lies an opportunity to gain insight others may not have, which is invaluable if following a human factors engineering perspective to workflow management.
I agree it's extremely important to learn everything about the technologies in your work area - anyone with a desire to learn can do this, and many administrators will welcome your interest.
Thanks for your input!
Great input David! Thanks for your insight.
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