Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Summary:

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist will serve as the lead clinical pharmacist within their area of specialty.

They actively participate in governance, teaching, education, and monitoring efforts. Participate in patient care rounding and develop content and delivers in-services to pharmacy and other healthcare professionals. Create and manage policies within their specialty area. Develop, implement, and monitor new workflows within specialty area. They should perform all functions needed to ensure proper storage, preparation and dispensing of medications. Interpret and evaluate physician orders for appropriateness and safety. Provide information and recommendations to ensure the safe, timely, accurate and appropriate administration of medications. Comply with all state and federal regulations, established peer standards and Hospital policies and procedures.

Responsibilities:

1. Medication Processing and Dispensing

a. Reviews, interprets, and verifies medication orders for safety and appropriateness in a timely manner. Conducts patient profile reviews prior to verifying/dispensing. Identifies and resolves basic order entry and prescribing problems. Makes appropriate interventions to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance.

b. Dispenses accurately labeled medications in the appropriate packaging in a timely manner. Understands all drug preparation techniques and can perform or oversee the timely preparation of medications to ensure product and patient safety.

c. Ensures all sterile compounded medications and IV solutions are handled and labeled according to applicable regulatory standards and policies.

d. Understands and complies with required Pharmacy Department documentation in all areas and can do so in a clear concise manner.

e. Understands the purchasing process and assists in inventory control to reduce waste. Can obtain drugs in select emergency situations.

f. Suggests appropriate alternatives to non-formulary medications.

2. Clinical Pharmacy and Drug Information

a. Demonstrates strong problem-solving skills and offers reasonable solutions/options.

b. Maintains drug knowledge and competency and keeps up to date with current trends and practices in pharmacy.

c. Demonstrates initiative in learning about new disease and drug therapies.

d. Retrieves, analyzes, and communicates drug information from available resources in a professional and timely manner.

e. Demonstrates an understanding of the pharmacotherapy of disease states.

f. Performs daily clinical functions including but not limited to;

i. IV to PO conversions

ii. Antibiotic dosing, stewardship, and monitoring

iii. Renal dosing adjustments

g. Collects and interprets data to design, recommend, implement, monitor, and/or modify patient-specific pharmacotherapy in collaboration with other health care professionals to optimize drug therapy.

h. Participates in patient care rounding.

3. Patient Counseling and Communication

a. Counsels patients as needed about their drug therapy to ensure safe use and maximize patient outcomes.

b. Demonstrates respect for patients and maintains a pleasant and professional attitude.

c. Communicates any patient needs or findings with the medical team.

d. Represent the department and the profession of pharmacy in a professional manner at all committee or task force meetings and report a summary back to department manager and staff.

e. Able to present professionally in a multidisciplinary setting.

f. Communicates clearly, concisely, and courteously, both in person and over the phone, with all hospital staff.

4. Oversee/Check/Monitor Central Pharmacy Workflow

a. Actively takes responsibility for overseeing all activities pertinent to drug preparation, dispensing and distribution. Conducts in-process and final checks on the performance of all actions taken by pharmacy technicians.

b. Oversees, prioritizes, and directs daily activities of the Pharmacy Technicians.

c. Maintains and promotes positivity, teamwork, and professional working environment.

d. Demonstrates ability to prioritize workloads, optimize productivity and maintain compliance with all regulations.

e. Recognizes and makes suggestions and recommendations to solve problems, increase productivity, improve department policies and procedures, and to promote cost-saving measures.

5. Project Management and Departmental Goals

a. Develops, initiates, maintains, and completes assigned projects.

b. Understands and actively contributes to departmental goals.

c. Actively participates in governance teams and meetings.

d. Performs clinical and/or regulatory monitoring.

e. Creates and manages policies in specialty area.

f. Develops, implements, and monitors new workflows within specialty area.

g. Tracks metrics for initiatives within specialty area.

6. Provides Training, Team Teaching, Mentoring, and Precepting of Students, Residents, and New Hires

a. Helps train and develop inexperienced staff in all areas.

b. Provides training, team teaching, mentoring, and precepting of students.

c. Has ownership of student and residency teaching rotations within specialty area.

d. Provides and develops interdisciplinary education materials.

e. Develops content and delivers in-services to pharmacy and other healthcare professionals.

7. Demonstrate ability to work and comply with all pharmacy regulations such as but not limited to USP 797, USP 800, Joint Commission medication management, applicable state law, CMS code of participation and hospital/network policy

a. Demonstrate ability to reference and look up pharmacy regulations.

b. Demonstrate knowledge and ability to work and comply with all pharmacy regulations, specifically USP 797 and 800, Joint Commission medication management, applicable state law, drug laws, and CMS code of participation.

c. Compliance with all hospital and networks policies.

d. Demonstrate ability to accurately document any necessary regulatory documentation.

e. Identify patterns of non-compliance and report to management as needed.

8. Conduct

a. Is a leader who exemplifies teamwork and accountability.

b. Abides to hospital and network values.

c. Maintains safe and pleasant working conditions and promotes productivity.

d. Follows policies and procedures.

e. Anticipates workflow and accommodates peak periods and effectively utilizes downtime.

f. Maintains a clean and clutter free work area.

9. Performs other duties as assigned.

Other Information:

REQUIREMENTS:

MINIMUM 1 YEAR OF EXPERIENCE IN SIMILAR ROLE

Computer skills, ability to multi-task and work independently.

Working Conditions:

Manual: significant manual skills/motor coord & finger dexterity

Occupational: Some occupational risk

Physical Effort: Sedentary/light effort. May exert up to 10 lbs. force

Physical Environment: Some exposure to dirt, odors, noise, human waste, etc.

Company: Danbury Hospital

Org Unit: 134

Department: Pharmacy

Exempt: Yes

Salary Range: $ $126.03 Hourly