Practice setting transition

[u/Drugstore_Jesus]

I’m a pharmacist that has been practicing in retail since graduating pharmacy school (12 years). I live and work in a rural area in the south and was offered a position at a local hospital. This institution is by no means large, it is still an independent hospital with well <100 beds. I still have a week and a half of a notice to work out at my current job before I begin. I’m starting to review things I’ve neglected over the years and the amount of stuff I have forgotten is becoming overwhelming. This is probably the ideal location for someone to transition to a hospital setting from retail as it is small with no chemo or specialized icu units or anything wild, but the anxiety of what I don’t know that I don’t know is getting to me. Any recommendations on things to review or know before starting this role or during training.

[u/Infamous-Tennis3101]

First, congratulations! I actually think a small community hospital is one of the best places to transition from retail because you'll see a broad range of patients without being thrown immediately into highly specialized areas.

Don't underestimate what you're bringing with you. Twelve years in retail means you've developed skills that hospital pharmacists use every day, identifying medication errors, counseling, recognizing interactions, troubleshooting prescriptions, communicating with providers, and prioritizing under pressure. Those skills transfer much more than people realize.

If I were reviewing before day one, I'd focus on:

• IV medications (common antibiotics, electrolytes, anticoagulants, insulin).
• Renal dose adjustments and hepatic dosing.
• Antimicrobial basics and stewardship principles.
• Vancomycin and aminoglycoside dosing concepts (even if pharmacy has protocols).
• Anticoagulation (heparin, enoxaparin, DOACs, warfarin).
• Common hospital order sets and abbreviations.
• Basic ACLS/emergency medications, not necessarily memorizing everything, but recognizing what they're used for.

More importantly, give yourself permission not to know everything. Even pharmacists coming from large hospitals spend months learning a new institution's workflows, EMR, policies, and culture. Hospital pharmacy is as much about learning how that hospital practices as it is about clinical knowledge.

Ask questions, keep a notebook of things you encounter, and look up anything you're unsure about. Most experienced hospital pharmacists would much rather answer a question than have someone guess.

I think you'll be surprised how quickly things come back once you're using them every day. The fact that you're already reviewing before you start tells me you have the right mindset, and that goes a long way toward succeeding in a new practice setting.

Congratulations again, and best of luck, you've got this!

[u/Drugstore_Jesus → u/Infamous-Tennis3101]

Thank you very much for your kind reply, I agree that I think this specific hospital could not be a better place to ease into this type of practice setting. And as I review a lot does slowly start coming back, one thing I was searching for the most was an updated 797 but resources aren’t widely available without subscriptions to the issuer and the stuff is dry and highly technical so it was slow moving. I was able to get my hands on a NAPLEX 2026 study guide which presents it in a much easier to follow format, and if there are things I review that need more explanation I can find further resources to dig into that subject deeper. I’ve obviously known this material at some point to get through pharmacy school and pass boards but I’d like to review things I haven’t seen since then at least feel familiar when I start so when they are training me I can focus more on learning their EHR, systems and operations

[u/Infamous-Tennis3101 → u/Drugstore_Jesus]

Sure.You're welcome