academics & students
Hospitals and Other Institutional Settings
As society's healthcare needs have changed and expanded, there has been an increasing emphasis on provision of that care through organized healthcare settings. As a result, increasing numbers of pharmacists practice in large and small hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities, neighborhood health centers, and health maintenance organizations. Hospital pharmacists, as members of the healthcare team along with physicians and nurses, have a unique opportunity for direct involvement with patient care. Contemporary hospital pharmacy practice includes a number of highly specialized areas, such as nuclear pharmacy, drug and poison information, and intravenous therapy. In addition, pharmacists provide specialized services in adult medicine, pediatrics, oncology, ambulatory care, and psychiatry.
Recent years have also seen dramatic growth in pharmacy services in health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and related organizations that offer coordinated ambulatory care with a multidisciplinary staff of health professionals, including pharmacists.
