Inpatient Services

The Department of Pharmacy’s Inpatient Division is active and diverse. This area of practice presents many opportunities for new graduates as well as experienced pharmacists. The Central Pharmacy is located on the seven floor of the Clinical Services Wing. This operation, along with one pharmacy satellite, supports all inpatient and outpatient care areas and hospitals on the Galveston Campus.

The Operating Room (OR) Pharmacy Satellite is located on the fourth floor of the Jennie Sealy Hospital. It provides pharmacy services for approximately 60 cases per day including CABG, orthopedics, cosmetics, cataracts, kidney and liver transplantation, trauma, and many others. The OR pharmacist provides drug information, dispenses medications, controls and reconciles narcotics, and works with medical staff to identify cost effective drug utilization opportunities.

A continuing goal of the Inpatient Division is the deployment and expansion of clinical services supported by the Pharmacy Clinical Practice Specialists, Clinical Staff Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technologists. Initiatives include: 

• All new medication orders are reviewed by a pharmacist for appropriateness to identify drug-related problems.
• Pharmacists make recommendations regarding drug therapy regimens including ordering of tests and laboratory values to monitor drug therapy for appropriateness.
• Pharmacists participate in patient care rounds. 
• Patient progress and medication recommendations are communicated to the primary provider.
• Pharmacists play a key role in medication reconciliation for ED patients including educating patients and/or caregivers, facilitating continuity of care, assisting with reimbursement issues, and discussing medication adherence.
• Pharmacists control the drug distribution systems to ensure that the right medication and the right dose is administered via the right route to the right patient at the right time, as well as maintain the safety of the medication use system.
• Pharmacists assist in the development, implementation and maintenance of decision support software systems aimed at decreasing costs and improving the quality of care.
• Pharmacy staff coordinates the storage, preparation and distribution of all medications, including sterile products, and ensure full compliance with national standards of practice.
• Pharmacists help to educate future caregivers by precepting pharmacy students and pharmacy residents and are involved with continuing education by providing in-services.
• Pharmacy staff members monitor medication shortages, and when necessary, work with physicians to determine appropriate alternative therapies.

The Central Pharmacy consists of an Order Entry Area, a Medication Distribution Area, a non-sterile Compounding and Prepackaging Facility, a Sterile Products Area, a state-of-the-art Automated Distribution System, and a Controlled Substance Vault operation that utilizes unit based, automated cabinets. This central operation supports all inpatient care areas and outpatient care areas on the Galveston campus.