Did you know that there are a lot of different kinds of pharmacists who work with patients during their cancer treatment? You’re likely familiar with pharmacists who work in community pharmacies filling prescriptions for patients.
But, did you also know that there are pharmacists who work in hospitals, clinics and specialty pharmacies? They all work together with the other members of the health care team to guarantee that every patient is getting the safest care possible. Read on to learn more about what each of these pharmacists do!
Community pharmacists are the most well-known kind of pharmacists. Also known as retail pharmacists, they work in a pharmacy that is open to the public to fill prescriptions. Duties include:
Find an Aurora Community Pharmacy near you.
Hospital pharmacists work within the hospital to help care for cancer patients who need help managing toxicities related to their treatment. They help patients become strong enough to leave the hospital and return safely to their homes. They also help care for patients receiving treatment who need more frequent checking. Some of their other duties include:
Pharmacists also work at infusion clinics where cancer patients receive chemotherapy. These pharmacists are involved in:
Many pharmacists are available to talk with patients either in person, over the phone or over a video chat to make sure that all of their questions and concerns are answered.
Sometimes, patients will receive cancer fighting treatment that they can take in pill form by mouth. These medications require very close monitoring and can be expensive, so they’re not able to be filled at most community pharmacies. Specialty pharmacists are in charge of:
Specialty pharmacists can often take the stress out of refills by sending the medications directly to the patient’s home or a nearby community pharmacy to be picked up.
Pharmacists understand that managing medication conditions can be stressful and time consuming, but they want you to know they’re available to help you each step of the process. After all, caring for patients means more than providing prescriptions!
Whenever you have questions about prescriptions or over-the-counter medications, a pharmacist can help. And for cancer survivors, your pharmacists will likely be a crucial part of your Cancer Care team.