NUCLEAR Pharmacy Opportunities with Covidien
Covidien is an industry leader in imaging, providing a full line of contrast media and delivery systems, radiopharmaceuticals, and urology imaging systems for the diagnosis and treatment of disease in many imaging procedures. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Covidien has been in the imaging business since 1913. We develop and market products for hospitals, freestanding imaging centers and radiopharmacies.
At Covidien, Seeing the bigger picture guides our commitment to provide imaging customers with problem solving and foresight. Customers may be in many departments: Radiology, Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance, Cath Lab, Cardiology, Nuclear, Urology and the Operating Room. We strive to provide products, tools and services that enable healthcare providers to do things they could not do before in efficient, economical and innovative ways. The core motivation of both Covidien and our customers is the health and well being of patients worldwide.
Regardless of your specialty-Radiologist, Interventional Cardiologist, Urologist, X-Ray Technologist, Nuclear Physician, Operating Room Nurse or many others-there are products, services and information that can benefit you here at Covidien.Covidien is not only a major worldwide manufacturer of nuclear medicine products with its facilities in St. Louis, MO and the Netherlands; it is a major network of Radiopharmacies.
Covidien Radiopharmacies first started in 1983 with the opening of the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Philadelphia facilities. Today, with 41 facilities in the United States and one in London, England, the Radiopharmacy network supplies patient-specific unit-dose radiopharmaceuticals to hospitals and clinics in their service area. Two or more licensed pharmacists having specialized training in radiopharmaceutical dispensing staff each facility.
The Practice of Nuclear Pharmacy is recognized as a specialty within Pharmacy Practice. The American Pharmaceutical Association defines it as follows:
The "Practice of Nuclear Pharmacy" means a patient-oriented service that
embodies the scientific knowledge and professional judgement required to
improve and promote health through the assurance of the safe and efficacious
use of radiopharmaceuticals and other drugs.
In order for a pharmacist to practice in the field, they are required to have a license to practice pharmacy in that state. Additionally, they must be classified as an "authorized user" on a radioactive materials license (e.g. NRC) and have a minimum of 700 hours total of didactic and clinical experience in the use of radiopharmaceuticals.
Today, close to 90% of all radiopharmaceutical doses originate from a Radiopharmacy. In fact, the Covidien pharmacies consume over 70% of the output of Covidien's St. Louis, MO radiopharmaceutical manufacturing plant.
Our customers rely on us to provide them with patient-specific unit-dose radiopharmaceuticals that are ready to administer at the time they need them. The short life of the products dispensed mandates that an efficient method is used to safely transport the doses to our patients. This is why each Covidien Radiopharmacy operates a delivery service to ensure that the doses are available to the patients who need them, when they need them.
