The life of a hospital pharmacist can often be a thankless job. One of the main reasons for this could be related to the fact that, very often, these interdisciplinary team members work behind the scenes, having only limited direct contact with patients. Despite this reality, the role pharmacists play in helping patients achieve their maximum health potential is monumental. The following text explores the duties, joys and stressors that a local pharmacist experiences on a daily basis. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay There were a number of things described by the pharmacist that the author found surprising. For example, the pharmacist indicated that her profession is now increasingly recognized within an interdisciplinary team. This is a good reminder to the author, as it is often easy to forget the important role this particular discipline plays, especially when a nurse's only interaction is making a quick phone call or sending a fax at the pharmacy. The interviewee had a lot to say about the obstacles she faces when working with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies. Among the challenges in this regard that she listed are drugs requiring prior authorization, drugs that are simply not covered by insurance, and drugs that the patient cannot afford. She reports that these patients with limited income who do not take their medication too often become ill again and are forced to return to hospital settings. Another point that the author had not previously considered was that providers often do not consider cost when prescribing a medication. The person interviewed declares having been a pharmacist for 3.5 years. Although she says she has not experienced any major changes in her role since the beginning of her career, she emphasizes that her experiences as a resident were radically different from what her role is today. She describes how there is now greater pressure in the state for pharmacists to achieve provider status and she cites this as one of the positive aspects currently present in her profession. Regarding the challenges faced by this person, she lists drug interactions, drug-condition interactions, prescriptions that were not properly adjusted for kidney dysfunction, prescriptions that were inappropriate in dose or duration and polypharmacy. This pharmacist emphasizes in particular that many patients often take several medications, without indication of their use. The interviewee considers feelings of contribution and accomplishment to be the most important aspect of their job. She also mentions how patients, nurses, and providers generally trust pharmacists and how this relationship further adds to her sense of personal fulfillment. As a result of this interview, the author realized that although the roles of pharmacist and nurse are very different, they both share many of the same challenges and successes. This notion becomes evident when we recognize that the pharmacist stated that he was expected to accomplish more work with fewer resources. In fact, this is probably a problem that all members of the interdisciplinary team face to some extent, particularly when considering things like budgetary constraints and lack of.