Tyler Healthcare Center (THC) located in rural Tyler, MN (population 1200), approximately 80 miles northeast of Sioux Falls, SD, includes a 20 bed Critical Access Hospital, 2 medical clinics with 2 physicians and a physician’s assistant, a 40 bed nursing home, home health/hospice services and wellness and rehab programs. Prior to July 1, 2004 pharmacy services at Tyler Healthcare Center were managed by the local retail pharmacist. On top of running the town’s only retail pharmacy, he staffed the hospital pharmacy an average of 1-2 hours a day.
During the first few months of the residency year, my goals included increasing patient safety in dispensing, administering and prescribing as well as reorganizing the pharmacy to decrease inventory.
In 2006, the Tyler Healthcare Center pharmacy department is staffed 40-50 hours per week with a pharmacist. Current pharmacy services include anticoagulation monitoring, medication review for clinic patients, chemotherapy preparation, pharmacokinetic dosing recommendations and available onsite pharmacist consultation with providers.
