Development of a clinical operating room surgical rotation

Purpose: A safety consensus document by The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and practice guidelines published by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) recommend inclusion of a clinical pharmacist in the operating room (O.R.). Pharmacy surgical rotations at our institution previously focused only on training for postoperative care of surgical patients. The authors describe a specialty clerkship rotation that introduces students to the O.R. and some of the unique therapies there-in.

Methods: Students spend their full rotation focused on intraoperative care of the surgical patient. Medication management, observation and topic research are major components of the rotation. Students are exposed to a high volume practice of approximately 340 surgical cases daily. The wide variety of specialties at our tertiary care facility maximizes opportunity and allows tailoring the rotation to the trainee’s interest.

Results: Students find that the once intimidating environment of the O.R offers a new dimension to their experiences and education. Topics that may have only been briefly mentioned in their didactic training are now more thoroughly presented to the students. Based on the interest generated by the clerkship rotation, we plan to extend the opportunity to our pharmacy residents in the near future.

Conclusion: We are fortunate to be part of a large medical institution that encompasses a wide variety of surgeries coupled with unique, rare disease states. Interventions by clinical pharmacists are frequent in this arena. Student interaction with our O.R. pharmacy staff and preceptors offers experiences that are not available in other rotations at our institution.