7 Key Clinical Pharmacist Interview Questions to Ask

Clinical pharmacists work closely with healthcare teams to ensure patients receive medications that will help them achieve optimal outcomes. Unlike staff pharmacists who work in retail stores, clinical pharmacists work in hospital settings and are quite involved in a patient’s plan of care. They often serve as the pharmaceutical expert in a care team, so they require strong skills in communication, collaboration, and patient education. Thus, it’s important to ask targeted clinical pharmacist interview questions when hiring for this role.

While writing a strong job description will help you attract a pool of qualified pharmacists, the interview is where you can really get a sense of a candidate’s motivations, values, and personal qualities. To help you find a strong medical expert for your team, we’ll provide seven pharmacy clinical questions you can ask during your next round of interviews.

Clinical Pharmacist Job Interview Questions

When hiring a hospital pharmacist, clinical interview questions should focus on topics that assess the ability to provide patient-centered care and expertise to the healthcare team. With that in mind, here are seven questions that will help you evaluate the qualities needed to be a strong clinical pharmacist.

1. What inspired you to become a clinical pharmacist?

This is one of the best clinical pharmacy interview questions to start with since it gives the candidate flexibility to share their personal career journey. Their answers can help you better understand their motivations for pursuing clinical pharmacy and learn more about them as a person.

What to listen for:

• Genuine interest in helping patients achieve optimal outcomes
• Personal motivations for pursuing a pharmaceutical career

Potential follow-up questions:

• How have your past experiences prepared you for this role?
• What do you believe are your primary duties as a clinical pharmacist?

2. What steps do you take to ensure the accuracy of your medication lists each day?

Clinical pharmacists play an important role in minimizing the risk of medication errors and protecting patient safety. This question evaluates a candidate’s process for ensuring accuracy in essential tasks and how they might apply their organizational skills in practice.

What to listen for:

• Indication that the candidate is highly organized and pays attention to detail
• Processes that center around protecting patient safety

Potential Follow-up Questions:

• How do you maintain accuracy on days where you have a high-volume of patients?
• Can you tell me about a time you made a mistake and how you handled the situation?

3. Describe how you educate your patients about their medications.

In clinical settings, pharmacists are responsible for educating patients about how their medication works, their daily medication regimen, and potential side effects. Thus, a candidate should feel comfortable regularly interacting with patients and have a solid process for relaying essential information.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of how to effectively break down complex information
• Patient-centered approach to providing all necessary information

Potential Follow-up Questions:

• How would you handle a patient who wasn’t adhering to their medication regimen?
• Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma regarding a patient’s medication use? How did you handle the situation?

4. Can you tell me about a time when you received a challenging patient case and how you handled the situation?

Clinical pharmacists will often manage care for patients with complex conditions, lengthy medical histories, or existing medication regimens. This question allows you to get a real-world example of how a candidate might approach more complicated patient cases.

What to listen for:

• Adaptability and confidence in tackling more difficult cases
• Strong problem solving skills and the ability to maintain a patient-centered approach

Potential Follow-up Questions:

• What would you do if a patient had an adverse reaction to a medication?
• How would you handle medications for a patient who has multiple comorbidities?

5. How do you use electronic health record (EHR) systems to facilitate your everyday work?

The EHR system is essential for streamlining workflow at a hospital. As such, one of your clinical pharmacist interview questions should touch on the pharmacist’s role in utilizing EHR records to inform care. This allows you to assess whether a candidate understands how to use EHR records effectively and maintain records in line with their duties.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of how to use information in EHR systems to support clinical decisions (e.g., drug interactions, allergies, dosages, etc.)
• Knowledge of the pharmacist’s role in documenting medication information into the EHR

Potential Follow-up Questions:

• How do you handle patient confidentiality in your everyday work?
• How do you ensure accuracy in your EHR documentation?

6. What’s your process for keeping up with the latest pharmaceutical guidelines?

Clinical pharmacists are expected to be experts in their work, and it’s important for them to continuously stay on top of emerging research in the industry. Asking clinical pharmacist interview questions like this will help you evaluate a candidate’s attitude and approach to keeping up with new guidelines.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of how to find information in reliable databases (e.g., Lexicomp)
• Other activities showcasing commitment to the industry, such as attending conferences, continuing education, or reading journals/federal guidelines

Potential Follow-up Questions:

• How do you keep up with new drugs that become available on the market?
• Have you ever had to change or update a pharmacy protocol? What was the outcome?

7. How do you collaborate with other members of the healthcare team in your everyday work?

In clinical settings, pharmacists must work closely with a multidisciplinary team of providers. They regularly participate in team meetings and serve as consultants for staff who have questions or concerns about prescribing medications. This question evaluates a candidate’s ability to work within a team setting and their approach to communication.

What to listen for:

• Emphasis on the importance of multidisciplinary communication and teamwork
• Understanding how to keep team updated about medication changes or discrepancies

Potential Follow-up Questions:

• What would you do if a provider prescribed a medication that’s contraindicated with a patient’s medical history?
• How comfortable are you with training junior pharmacists?

Attract a Strong Pool of Talent to Your Facility’s Openings

Now that you’ve prepared a list of clinical pharmacist interview questions (and answers to listen for), you may be looking for candidates who are qualified to answer them. IntelyCare’s job board can help you reach a nationwide network of healthcare professionals who are actively seeking their next roles.