Pharmacy Services

The Pharmacy Department at Catawba Valley Medical Center is staffed by NC Board of Pharmacy Certified Pharmacists, Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialists (BCPS) as well as Nationally Certified pharmacy technicians with the following mission:

The Department of Pharmacy Services at Catawba Valley Medical Center exists to maximize the benefits of drug therapy while minimizing the potential adverse reactions inherent in medication use in an atmosphere of professionalism, respect and effective communication.

Inpatient Services

• Inpatient pharmacy coverage 24 hours a day/365 days a year
• Pharmacy staff partners with physicians, nurses, other healthcare professionals along with the patient and the patient’s caregiver(s) to ensure exceptional care is received throughout the patient’s stay here at CVMC
• Provides guidance as to which drug is most effective in treating the patient
• Ensures the nurses and other healthcare staff have the correct dosage of medication in a timely manner
• Counsels patients and their caregivers on how to properly take medications once they are discharged

The Pharmacy Department services do not stop at Inpatient Services, but are interwoven throughout the entire health system and community. The pharmacy staff are dedicated to being an active participant in fulfilling the mission of CVMC – to provide exceptional healthcare; every person; every time. Whether it is through the Outpatient Infusion Pharmacy, Meds2Beds Program, Employee Pharmacy Services or Educational Opportunities; CVMC’s Pharmacy Department plays an integral role in helping to provide exceptional healthcare in the community.

Meds2Beds: Outpatient Pharmacy offering patients being discharged from the hospital with the medication needed to aid in their recovery process after leaving the hospital

• Gives patients and their caregiver(s) the ability to fill a month’s supply of prescriptions saving them the hassle of having to stop by a pharmacy on their way home from the hospital
• Pharmacy staff delivers the medication to bedside prior to discharge
• Medication counseling is available
• Most major insurances are accepted

Employee Pharmacy Services: offers employees and their family members who have CVMC’s health insurance their prescription medications at a discounted price

• Free medication delivery program to those employee’s that work at an off-site CVMC location
• Employee Pharmacy staff partner with physicians and other healthcare professionals to ensure that the employees and their family members are receiving the correct medication and not taking medications that combined create harmful drug interactions
• Provide medication counseling as needed

Educational Opportunities

Recognizing how valuable hands-on experience can be to future healthcare providers, the pharmacy department offers educational opportunities to individuals at various points in their pharmacy career – from the teenager thinking about majoring in pharmacy; to the pharmacy student doing a practice rotation; to the pharmacy school graduate looking to specialize in clinical pharmacy there is a program available here at CVMC.

VolunTeen Program: allows teenagers from local high schools to spend time shadowing pharmacy technicians and pharmacists while earning volunteer hours. The VolunTeens are given the opportunity to not only spend time in the pharmacy but also to ask questions to determine if they want to pursue a career in pharmacy.

Onsite Clinical Rotation: CVMC’s Pharmacy Department partners with several pharmacy schools, including Wingate University School of Pharmacy and Campbell School of Pharmacy, to allow pharmacy students an opportunity to complete an onsite clinical rotation. Based on the student’s interest, they are paired up with a team of clinical pharmacists as well as a resident to experience the real world of hospital pharmacy.

PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program: In 2016, CVMC’s Pharmacy Department established a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program based on the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) standards. Each year two pharmacy graduates are chosen to participate in the year-long clinical residency certification program. The rigorous program provides pharmacists an opportunity to gain more specialized training in clinical pharmacy outside of what they were exposed to in pharmacy school. The program also allows the hospital a chance to improve processes through individualized research projects the residents complete during the program.