Veterinary pharmacists play a crucial role in keeping our beloved animals healthy and happy. From assisting veterinarians in the prescription process to providing guidance on over-the-counter medications, veterinary pharmacists help ensure that our furry, feathered, and scaly friends are receiving the best care possible. Veterinary pharmacists have a wide variety of responsibilities, from advice on treatments and medications to support for clients and pet owners. It is important that pet owners, veterinarian practices, and pharmacists understand the role and responsibilities of a veterinary pharmacist in order to ensure the best outcomes for our animal companions. In this blog post, we will explore the role and responsibilities of a veterinary pharmacist in detail, and how they help keep our animal friends safe and healthy.
Profiles in Pharmacy #5 – The Unique Field of Veterinary Pharmacy
Veterinary Pharmacist versus Veterinary Pharmacy Specialist Role
Seven tasks were deemed crucial by the expert panel to the roles of veterinary pharmacists and veterinary pharmacy specialists (Appendix 1). It was believed that the role of veterinary pharmacy specialists was much more comprehensive, encompassing clinical practice, research, and education.
The pattern of agreement displayed by each panel regarding how they view the roles of the veterinary pharmacist and veterinary pharmacy specialist is shown in Appendix 1. Small-animal veterinarians, community veterinary pharmacists, and veterinarians who treat wildlife and exotic animals came to an agreement that the veterinary pharmacist should keep references and formularies pertaining to veterinary and human drugs and provide pharmacists and veterinarians with information on medications. The community veterinary pharmacists panel felt that, with the exception of one, all of the points made in the list should be considered when defining the role of veterinary pharmacists. The panel of pharmacy academicians held the most traditional viewpoint regarding the function of the veterinary pharmacist. All items for the community veterinary pharmacist, with the exception of 3 (provide information to pharmacists about drug use in animals, act as a point of contact between owners and veterinarian regarding drug-related inquiries, and manage drug inventory for veterinarian), achieved a consensus value of 4, but the large standard deviation (1.10) prevented the results from being statistically significant. 2 to 1. 4) precluded inclusion as consensus items.
Veterinary Pharmacist versus Veterinary Pharmacy Specialist Training Needs
Understanding opinions about the training required to perform the roles of both the veterinary pharmacist and the veterinary pharmacy specialist was the second area of analysis (Appendix 2). The panelists agreed that the training requirements for veterinary pharmacists were very different from those for veterinary pharmacy specialists, who need to have a deeper understanding of things like physiology, animal disease states, and pharmacokinetics.
The degree of agreement regarding the panels’ perceptions of the training requirements for veterinary pharmacists and veterinary pharmacy specialists varied (Appendix 2)
With the exception of the hospital veterinary pharmacists panel, the panels all agreed that a crucial skill for veterinary pharmacists to learn is how to prepare and compound medications for animals. The only panels (clinical veterinary pharmacists, hospital veterinary pharmacists, and community veterinary pharmacists) that were involved in some aspect of veterinary pharmacy practice thought that additional training was necessary in the area of understanding common animal disease states to function in the role of the veterinary pharmacist
The panelists thought that broader education was crucial for the position of a veterinary pharmacy specialist. In order to prepare for a future role as a veterinary pharmacy specialist, the panelists in veterinary medicine practice (wildlife and exotic-animal veterinarians, large-animal veterinarians, and small-animal veterinarians) saw a need for both didactic and clinical learning in veterinary pharmacy. Even though this item did not receive a consensus score (mean 3), the advisory group still believed that a residency or fellowship was essential to the practice of the veterinary pharmacy specialist. 78, standard deviation ± 0. 98).
In order to define the precise training requirements for professionals, a variety of techniques have been used, such as direct observation of daily professional activities, surveys of practitioners, and expert focus groups. The aforementioned information is not readily available in an emerging field like veterinary pharmacy, so educators have turned to alternative methods to help direct the creation of learning experiences. The Delphi process was employed in this study to help reach an understanding of the duties, obligations, and educational requirements of veterinary pharmacists and veterinary pharmacy specialists.
It is the responsibility of the pharmacy academic community to create learning opportunities that are pertinent for practitioners and that support positive clinical practice outcomes. Standards published by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education serve as a guide for professional programs leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree during this process. 29 According to a standard, the curriculum’s aim is to “prepare graduates with the professional competencies to enter pharmacy practice in any setting to ensure optimal medication therapy outcomes and patient safety, among other things.” The authors of this study are not aware of any published formal guidelines that outline the learning experiences necessary for preparing pharmacy students to practice in this role, despite the fact that the role of veterinary pharmacists has been discussed in a number of opinion articles (1–6, 8–11, 13–15, 18–30). The educational needs discovered through this research offer recommendations for content and, indirectly, for the courses and practical experiences that require revision.
US colleges and schools of pharmacy should consider reviewing their curricula to find potential areas of topic integration based on the educational requirements identified by the expert panel for the veterinary pharmacist. These include laws governing the dispensing of animal prescriptions, compounding of medications for animals, and veterinary drug literature. Pharmacy Law, Drug Literature Evaluation, and Compounding are a few examples of potential courses that a teacher may take into consideration when implementing these subjects. Graduates working in a community setting would be qualified to fill and dispense the occasional prescription for a companion animal with these minor changes to the curricula. They would be able to consult a reliable source to confirm a dose, locate the listed therapeutic uses and typical adverse effects for various animal species, and be knowledgeable about veterinary laws and abbreviations.
Students pursuing doctorates in pharmacy (PharmDs) who are particularly interested in veterinary pharmacy and who plan to work in a setting where many prescriptions for animals are filled may want to consider certificate programs offered by some colleges or pharmacy schools. A veterinary pharmacy professional elective course and experience could be offered by selective colleges of pharmacy that employ the right faculty members. An additional requirement for the certificate program that should be taken into consideration is an elective experience at a local facility that creates animal-specific compounded medications. The student should be expected to master the core competencies and goals specified by the expert panel during these learning experiences. The community veterinary pharmacists were viewed by the authors as having opinions that were particularly pertinent for the practicing veterinary pharmacist and that should be taken into consideration for inclusion in the educational objectives for the certificate program. These objectives included understanding variations in animal pharmacokinetics and physiology, knowledge of common animal disease states, and providing drug information needed to support
Graduates interested in working as a veterinary pharmacy specialist will need a thorough educational experience to learn the anatomy and physiology of the various species and comprehend the disease states seen in veterinary practice, among other things, even though the expert panel was divided on the need for a postgraduate degree, residency, or fellowship program. This kind of experience, in the authors’ opinion, is best provided in a residency or fellowship program, like the one provided at the University of California-Davis. An alternative would be a postgraduate program, similar to the learning opportunities provided by the University of Malta and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain31. 32.
The data from round three of the Delphi process showed that there was broad agreement on both the similarities and differences between the roles and responsibilities of the veterinary pharmacist and the veterinary pharmacy specialist. Support was shown for the pharmacist’s participation in the provision of veterinary services, with various panelist groups indicating various areas of role consensus. The perceived role responsibilities of the veterinary pharmacist compared to the veterinary pharmacy specialist showed the biggest differences in areas of consensus. Comparing the educational requirements of the veterinary pharmacist with those of the veterinary pharmacy specialist revealed a similar pattern of variation in consensus. While programs have been put in place to train pharmacists for expanded roles in veterinary pharmacy,1-11,13,15,18,30 and pharmacists assisting veterinarians in the delivery of services to animals have been mentioned in the literature,24 this is the first attempt to define the role and educational needs of the veterinary pharmacist and veterinary pharmacy specialist using a recognized research method.
Several authors have pointed out the drawbacks of the Delphi method, including panelist attrition rates. 26,33–35 By the end of round 3, only 55 (or 39% of the initial participants) remained on the panel. The range of respondents per panel was 1 (5%) to 11 (55%), with the large-animal veterinarians panel showing the most pronounced decline. Only five of the original panel’s large-animal veterinarian members took part in rounds one and two and one in round three, raising concerns about the representation of the other panelists’ views. This is crucial because veterinarians who treat large animals frequently deal with pharmacotherapy-related issues.
The cut-off point that restricts the number of statements that can reach consensus is a second restriction. Items that were close to 4 but did not receive unanimous consent 0 or ranked by a single panel with mean ratings of 4 5 or greater were re-examined. According to the advisory group, veterinary pharmacists should receive training in the variations between animal physiology and pharmacokinetics. The group held that knowledge of the metabolism, protein binding, absorption, and distribution for various species is necessary for a veterinary pharmacist to safely dispense a drug for an animal and offer guidance about drug interactions, safety, and adverse effects. Community veterinary pharmacists on the panel had strong convictions (mean score > 4) 5) that the veterinary pharmacist should: (1) provide the resources necessary for compounding drugs for animal use; (2) help consumers obtain medication for companion animal care; (3) advise pet owners about drug use, drug-drug interactions, and side effects; and (4) act as a source of human market drugs that have been discontinued but are still used in veterinary practice. The veterinary pharmacist’s training requirements were also ranked highly (mean score > 4). 5) by the community veterinary pharmacists panel included answering questions about medications from pet owners, recognizing differences in animal physiology, and providing drug information to help the pet owner.
In order to prevent bias in the study and uphold the integrity of the Delphi process, a description of the traditional pharmacist who supports the needs of the veterinarian (referred to here as a veterinary pharmacist) and a pharmacist who specializes in veterinary pharmacy (referred to here as a veterinary pharmacy specialist) was omitted. According to the authors, the veterinarian, the pet owner, and the pharmacist form a triad relationship that includes the veterinary pharmacist. According to us, a pharmacist who only works in veterinary pharmacy and whose job description includes clinical activities is a “veterinary pharmacy specialist.”
This is the first comprehensive use of the Delphi technique to outline the duties and training of the veterinary pharmacist and veterinary pharmacy specialist. Our study discovered that while the veterinary pharmacy specialist’s role expanded beyond these duties to include consultation services, research, and education, the veterinary pharmacist’s role is limited to dispensing, compounding, and providing drug information. Through ongoing study and application in this developing field, the role will be further refined and validated. The findings of this study will direct educators in developing relevant, modern curricula for veterinary pharmacy that will prepare pharmacists.
What Does a Veterinary Pharmacist Do?
A veterinary pharmacist’s responsibilities include preparing medication, measuring doses, and assisting with the administration of medications to animals. You’ll have to explain how to administer the medication to the pet or livestock owner as part of your duties in this line of work. You fulfill every prescription given to you by the vet, keep an inventory of pet medications, and locate specific medications when required. You could also educate vets on the applications and negative effects of medication.
How to Become a Veterinary Pharmacist
A degree, a pharmacist license, as well as expertise and knowledge in the field of veterinary medicine, are requirements for beginning a career as a veterinary pharmacist. A bachelor’s degree in a subject like animal science, chemistry, or health science is an option for aspiring veterinary pharmacists. You must then pursue a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree. States also require a license to practice. During your pharmacy degree program, you might be able to focus on veterinary medications. After graduation, you could also pursue a fellowship or internship.
FAQ
What does a veterinary pharmacist do?
A veterinary pharmacist is a pharmacist with specialized training who provides advice and veterinary products to people who own pets and livestock. Additionally, they participate in the formulation of veterinary drugs and provide regulatory bodies with advice.
What special skills are required to work in veterinary pharmacy?
When handling dangerous drugs or compounding materials, veterinary pharmacists need to be well-versed in the appropriate safety procedures and disposal techniques. They must also pay close attention to detail, ensuring that all labels reflect the contents and dosage accurately.
What are 5 responsibilities of a veterinarian?
- Examine animals to assess their health and diagnose problems.
- Treat and dress wounds.
- Perform surgery on animals.
- Test for and vaccinate against diseases.
- Operate medical equipment, such as x-ray machines.
- Advise animal owners about general care, medical conditions, and treatments.
What does an equine pharmacist do?
A veterinary pharmacist’s responsibilities include preparing medication, measuring doses, and assisting with the administration of medications to animals. You’ll have to explain how to administer the medication to the pet or livestock owner as part of your duties in this line of work.
