Pharmacy Services for Medical Professionals
Our distinguished pharmacists, groundbreaking research and commitment to patient care provide the ideal environment to drive career growth. We are committed to training pharmacists so they have the skills and knowledge to lead as pharmacy practice becomes an increasingly important part of a patient’s healthcare experience.
Pharmacy Residency
The Cedars-Sinai Department of Pharmacy Services is affiliated with schools of pharmacy in California and across the country and provides over 200 student rotations annually. Additionally, the department develops outstanding future pharmacists through an ASHP-accredited residency program in pharmacy practice and forward-thinking leaders through the healthcare system pharmacy administration. Other specialty residencies are also provided. Pharmacists may serve as preceptors for students and residents and may provide education to clinicians.
Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (AAPE) Rotations
Why Do Student Rotations at Cedars-Sinai?
- Variety of APPE rotations available
- Opportunity to learn from highly trained and specialized pharmacists
- Areas of excellence
- Cardiology
- Neurology (Comprehensive Stroke Center – TJC certified)
- Solid organ transplantation
- Largest heart transplant program in the world
- Oncology
- Largest oncology provider in Southern California
- Inpatient pharmacy experience with a progressive pharmacy department
- Opportunity to work with a good mix of different healthcare providers (e.g. private community physicians vs. house staff/teaching teams)
Cedars-Sinai APPE Student Rotations
- Participate in daily patient care rounds with the medicine team (physician attending, medical residents, medical students)
- Monitor pharmacy drug therapy protocols, optimize patient drug therapies, and apply evidence-based medicine, provide patient education and medication reconciliation, learn common disease states, perform patient case presentations
- Medical grand rounds and noon conferences
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Journal clubs
- Daily multidisciplinary patient care rounds with the hematology/oncology team (physician attending, residents, medical students, nurses, case manager, social worker)
- Exposure to acute care services provided to patients with cancer or blood disorders, with emphasis on stem cell transplantation and acute leukemia
- Learn about the medical treatment of cancer (specific focus on hematological malignancies) and common complications of cancer and chemotherapy
- Monitor pharmacy drug therapy protocols, optimize patient drug therapies based on evidence-based medicine, provide chemotherapy counseling and obtain medication histories, weekly presentations on oncological disease states, complete one journal club presentation
- Educational conferences
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
Solid Organ Transplantation include kidney, liver, heart and lung.
- Daily patient care rounds with the transplant team (transplant attending, fellow, residents, medical students)
- Learn about common post-operative complications associated with the specific type of transplant
- Manage pre/post-transplant drug therapy (e.g., apply prophylactic measures such as immunosuppressive agents, antimicrobials) to prevent graft rejection and infections)
- Conduct discharge medication counseling for patient and family
- Attend outpatient transplant clinic
- Potential opportunity to observe procedures (e.g., transplant, bronchoscopy, biopsy) and attend pathology rounds
- Pharmacy conference twice weekly (patient case presentation)
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
Critical Care includes neurosurgery and stroke ICU, cardiac surgical, surgical and cardiac.
- Daily patient care rounds with the ICU team Intensivist, fellow, residents, medical students, nurses, other healthcare providers)
- Learn about and manage critically ill disease states specific to the area of specialty and common ICU-related complications
- Monitor pharmacy drug therapy protocols, optimize patient drug pharmacotherapies and apply evidence-based medicine, perform patient case presentations
- Attend and participate in Code Blues and Code Brains
- Potential opportunity to observe procedures (e.g. intubation, bronchoscopy)
- Educational conferences specific to the ICU area
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Triage patients in the O.R. in terms of potential pharmacotherapeutic intervention
- Evaluate and monitor drug therapy for appropriateness
- Help preceptor prepare and dispense medications following Cedars-Sinai policies and procedures (e.g. protocol dosing, education, order clarification and therapy assessment)
- Participate in management of emergencies (e.g., Code Blues, Code Brains, AMI)
- Learn about and manage perioperative medications (e.g., pain management, anesthesia induction and paralysis), Surgical Care Improvement Project national quality measures, and medical problems encountered in the operating room and procedural areas
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Attend and participate in interdisciplinary rounds
- Monitor and optimize patients' drug therapy protocols and apply evidence-based medicine when applicable
- Provide patient education and medication reconciliation
- Learn common disease states encountered in the pediatric/neonatal population and how to manage them
- Perform patient case presentations
- Attend and participate in pediatric grand rounds, pediatric noon conferences, and morning report
- Participate in virtual neonatal journal club and lectures
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
Inpatient Specialty Program and Emergency Department/SNF TOC
- Provide patient education
- Reconcile PTA medication list with inpatient medication list
- Perform discharge medication reconciliation and post-discharge medication reconciliation
- Opportunity to work with healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, case managers, social workers, SNF personnel)
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
Heart Failure TOC
- Attend and participate in daily multidisciplinary patient care rounds with the cardiomyopathy team
- Learn about pathophysiology and pharmacotherapeutic management of heart failure
- Ensure medication therapy is appropriate from admission to discharge
- Monitor and optimize patients' drug therapies and apply evidence-based medicine as appropriate
- Provide education for heart failure patients, medication reconciliation, discharge counseling
- Perform patient case presentations
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Participation in Therapeutic Management Clinic
- Evaluate patients' medication profiles and provide recommendations to optimize drug therapies as appropriate
- Perform medication reconciliation, patient education
- Transitions of care activities – working with an inpatient hospitalist group of physicians
- Obtain accurate PTA medication history
- Provide patient education
- Optimize patient therapy
- Nursing in-services, journal club presentations, therapeutic presentation on a specific disease state relevant to ambulatory care practice
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Participate in ID teaching rounds daily
- Evaluate patients' antimicrobial regimens and provide recommendations to optimize drug therapies based on evidence-based medicine
- Prepare MUE/monograph or other agenda items for Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee meeting
- Participate in ID clinical case conferences and clinics
- Attend microbiology and epidemiology orientation
- Assist ID pharmacist with antimicrobial stewardship activities
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Learn and participate in various aspects of the drug distribution system
- Exposure to and involvement in process changes related to information technology, automation and other decentralized medication management systems
- Obtain experience working in sterile and nonsterile compounding
- Assess medication orders for appropriateness
- Oral presentations
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Learn to provide concise, comprehensive, applicable and timely responses to requests for drug information from healthcare providers
- Opportunities to improve verbal and written communication skills
- Drug monograph or formulary class review
- Journal club presentations
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
- Attend and participate in administrative meetings: strategic planning, human resource development, program development, financial management
- Attend departmental, interdepartmental and committee meetings
- Assigned QA/QI/MUE projects that will be presented and submitted to the pharmacy administrative staff
- Pharmacy department-sponsored lectures
*Prerequisite: completion of acute care medicine rotation
Internship Program
The internship program is designed to provide progressive training in pharmacy drug distribution and clinical practice, building on the academic curriculum. The program gives interns a strong foundation an understanding of the crucial role that pharmacists play in patient care. We are especially focused on the medication use process and the pharmacist’s role in practicing evidence-based medicine, providing medications that are safe and effective for patients.
- Kaman Chung, PharmD
- Celica Tong, PharmD
- Staffing
- Intern program meetings
- Off-block rotation shadowing experience
- Summer projects
- Mentorship program
- Career development opportunities
- Three-year commitment including two full summers
- Models high standards of professionalism
- Demonstrates an interest in growth and development as a future clinical pharmacist
- Participates in patient care initiatives of the department
- Demonstrates effective communication skills
- Contributes to the achievement of a high-performing team
- Maintains accountability and ownership with assignments
- Exhibits flexibility and adaptability
Focus
- Medication distribution process
Staffing Components
- Central dispensing shift
- Fill medication orders
- Patient-centered technician shift
- Deliver medications to designated nursing units
- Perform morning cart exchange
- Fill Pyxis machines
- Refill IV floor stock
- Triage missing medications
- Facilitate communication between nurses and pharmacists
Focus
- Sterile compounding
Staffing Components
- IV room shift
- Obtain IV certification
- Prepare and mix sterile products
- Central dispensing shift
- Patient-centered technician shift
Focus
- Clinical activities
Staffing Components
- 5RX clinical shift
- Evaluate patients on pharmacy protocols (vancomycin/aminoglycoside PK dosing, anticoagulants and antimicrobials)
- Perform patient medication education
- Conduct medication reconciliation
- Assist pharmacists with clinical activities as needed
- IV room shift
- Central dispensing shift
- Patient-centered technician shift
Career Development
- CV review
- Mock interviews
Staffing Shifts (eight hours per shift)
- AM: 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- PM: 3:30 p.m. - midnight
- Sterile compounding shift times vary between 6 a.m. and midnight
Summers – FULL TIME (first and second year)
- Summers – FULL TIME (first and second year)
- Up to 40 hours per week starting one week from the last day of class through the start of the next school year
- Work every other weekend, including day and evening shifts
School year
- Two full weekends per month (16 hours per weekend, including day and evening shifts)
- Option to work extra
Holidays
- Usually either Christmas Day or New Year's Day
- Interns will be assigned to work holidays on a rotational basis, similar to other staff
Vacations must be preapproved.
During all school breaks, interns may be asked to work additional hours.