Our People in University Hospital Limerick

5 Minutes with Joanne Nally, Chief II Pharmacist (Cancer Services)

If you are interested in working as a Pharmacist in UHL, please click here. 

How does your day start?

My day starts at 8am, where I have a quick team meeting with my colleagues. We discuss the plan and priorities for the day. We decide who will cover ward meetings, multidisciplinary meetings, prescription verification and who will be on duty in our aseptic unit managing our chemotherapy production for the day. We also do a recap and follow up on any outstanding queries or issues from the day before.

I will also link in with my pharmacy technician colleagues and look at their plans and priorities for the day ahead.

Tell us about the team you work with.

I work with a wonderful team of pharmacists and technicians who are specialised in the area of chemotherapy production and provision.

Our aseptic unit is based within the wider pharmacy department, so on a daily basis I get to meet and liaise with other pharmacist and technician colleagues who work in other areas of the hospital. It is always useful to catch up with these colleagues and learn what is new in other specialities.

Throughout the cancer services directorate, I work with a broad multi-disciplinary team from medical and nursing colleagues to many other allied health professionals.

What does your typical working day involve?

My typical day starts with a brief team meeting with my other cancer services pharmacist colleagues.

From there, I attend the inpatient ward huddle to discuss all the current inpatients and any medication or chemotherapy related issues which they may have. I will then set about resolving these issues where possible. I also plan the inpatients chemotherapies which are due for the day with the ward manager and medical staff.

After that I attend the haematology/oncology day ward and ensure that all chemotherapies for the day are going as planned and deal with any queries or issues that may arise.

As a cancer services pharmacist, I may also have to spend part of the day managing the aseptic unit and the production of chemotherapy for the day. This involves working closely with my technician colleagues to ensure efficient management of this service.

Part of my day will also involve planning chemotherapy for the coming week and ensuring that all chemotherapy prescriptions are clinically verified by a pharmacist trained in cancer services.

As a Chief II Pharmacist in the area, I am also very much involved in management, including dealing with staff issues as they arise, rotas, scheduling, and clinical management such as chairing the cytotoxic committee meetings, development of new pharmacy services, ensuring all policies and protocols are up to date and that the unit is continually focused on safe patient care and safe provision and production of chemotherapy.

What motivates you in your work?

I am motivated by the fact that my work is very focused on safe and efficient delivery of chemotherapy to all patients attending the Mid-Western Cancer Centre and that every day we make a positive difference to patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy the fact that my job is in a very specialised and in a niche area which has allowed me to develop an expertise in the area of cancer treatment and make a positive impact on cancer patient care.

I also enjoy the fact that my role varies on a daily basis and that no two days are the same. I get to work alongside great colleagues, both within the pharmacy and also in the wider cancer services multidisciplinary team.

What advice would you give someone considering joining the Pharmacy Department team?

I would highly recommend for any pharmacist to consider a role in UHL. It is highly varied and can lead to working in a number of different specialities. You can greatly increase your clinical knowledge by learning from other colleague’s experience, working with other multidisciplinary colleagues throughout the hospital or availing of additional study or training opportunities.

There is a broad range and diversity to the role of the hospital pharmacist and it is a role that greatly contributes to medication safety and ultimately safe patient care.