Developing Career as a Hospital Cancer Pharmacist in China

Abstract

Pharmacy in hospital is a comprehensive and multiple medical service. In hospital, pharmacists act as a learnt intermediary between patients and health care providers advising on rational drug usage, and pharmaceutical care becomes one of the most important roles that pharmacists are currently taking on, involving main serving objects of patients, doctors, nurses and the public. Though the cancer hospital services vary from regions or hospitals, pharmacy in hospital sub-specialties include: clinical pharmacy, drug information service, hospital pharmacy dispensing, pharmacy administration, GCP (Good Clinical Practice), hospital preparation, pharmaceutical research, etc. Anti-cancer drugs, with the characters of high prices, narrow therapeutic window, serious ADR (adverse drug reaction) and fast-updated guidelines, promote the many key points in quality control. It brings big challenges in clinical rational usage since complex tumor mechanisms, individualized and precise therapies. Cancer pharmacists should focus more on latest treatment, individualized therapies, biomarkers, drug combinations, drug interactions and sequences. Two professional training stages for pharmacy students and residents after graduation are necessary: general pharmacist training stage and special pharmacist training stage. There are two professional education modes in China: Licensed Pharmacist and Hospital Pharmacist. here are also new modes for on-line/off-line education in China since COVID-19. Development for hospital cancer pharmacists include: academic opportunities through scientific research, continuing professional opportunities through standardization training or board certification, and working abroad. It requires the ability of pharmacists to discover and solve potential and practical clinical medication problems, to find new standpoints from directly-facing patients for clinical pharmacy and hospital pharmacy. During the entire cancer medication process completed by interdisciplinary teams, cancer pharmacists will stand as the unique professionals with deep and comprehensive medication knowledge, and therefore will be the leaders on medication.

Keywords

• cancer
• pharmacist
• development
• hospital
• career