WIDE-RANGING OPPORTUNITIES AT CARDINAL HEALTH

IF TINA STAVINOHO IS AN EXAMPLE, pharmacists have a great future at Cardinal Health. Sixteen years ago, she was hired as a manager of a small hospital pharmacy in Eagle Lake, Tex, just 8 months after getting a BS in pharmacy. It was an exciting opportunity because she had a chance to ?do everything? in a small operation.

Stavinoho, who also has an MS in pharmacy administration, worked her way up to director of a larger facility about 6 years later and then became a pharmacy consultant at Cardinal. In that position, she looked for ways to improve safety and productivity in hospital pharmacies and helped put automated dispensing systems in place at those facilities. From there, she moved into a corporate role, managing a group of 20 pharmacists who would step in as interim directors of pharmacies until permanent directors were hired.

Today, Stavinoho is director of training at Cardinal, a job she has had for about 6 months. She is responsible for developing and training directors of pharmacy, clinical managers, business unit personnel, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians on key business and clinical practices to ensure effective performance. Her responsibilities also include development and delivery of continuing education (CE) programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. As she says, ?my career path has given me the opportunity to develop skills based on my interests.?

Based in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health is a global company serving the health care industry with products and services that help hospitals, physician offices, and pharmacies to reduce costs, improve safety, productivity, and profitability, and deliver better care to patients. The company offers pharmacists many career choices and employs ?more than 1200 pharmacists nationwide,? according to Tara Schumacher of the company?s media relations department. ?In the last fiscal year, our pharmacy services division alone has hired more than 200 pharmacists, including directors of pharmacy, assistant directors, clinical managers, staff pharmacists, and managers in training.?

Pharmacists can work in ?flexible full-time and part-time? positions in health system practice, management, nuclear pharmacy, and community pharmacy, explains Schumacher Internships are available as well as rotational experiences and residencies.

The company offers ?very competitive benefits packages,? adds Stavinoho. Health insurance and a 401(k) with a company match are offered to employees from the first day of employment. A stock purchase plan also is available, allowing employees to purchase Cardinal Health stock at a 15% discount. Employees receive annual merit increases and are eligible for bonuses based on reaching performance objectives.

Pharmacists can obtain their CE credits online, through home learning and live workshops on-site. A tuition-reimbursement program also is available for pharmacists who may wish to pursue a PharmD or an MBA.

Nuclear pharmacy?a special niche at Cardinal?offers many job opportunities for pharmacists. The company provides nuclear pharmacy services to ?more than 8000 hospitals and clinics,? Schumacher explained, and ?compounds and dispenses 65% of all radiopharmaceuticals through its nationwide network of 150 nuclear pharmacies.?

She notes that Cardinal ?offers the largest nuclear pharmacy training program in the United States. Through its extensive training program, Cardinal Health provides the 200 didactic hours and 500 supervised practice hours required for certification as an authorized nuclear pharmacist.? Pharmacy students can take advantage of experiential rotation opportunities in nuclear pharmacies, Schumacher continued.

Cardinal also conducts a summer internship program that introduces nuclear pharmacy to students who may wish to pursue a career in this field. ?During the 10-week program, pharmacy students follow a structural process and work under the guidance of a pharmacy preceptor. Internship hours meet the experiential requirements for the authorized nuclear pharmacist designation and can be credited toward pharmacist licensure by the state board of pharmacy.? Cardinal also manages pharmacies in more than 350 hospitals around the country. Pharmacists are ?provided with the latest information on new drug indications and utilization strategies,? Schumacher noted. ?Pharmacists in these positions also work with industry experts in pharmacy workflow, accreditation preparedness, regulatory compliance, and medication safety.?