Pharmacist

Pharmacist

The Pharmacist is responsible for planning, coordinating, maintaining and controlling operations of the Pharmacy, including implementation of Pharmacy procedures; preparing and dispensing medications as prescribed and ordered by a licensed physician; supervising and training Pharmacy staff; maintaining Pharmacy equipment; overseeing the pharmacy's quality control program; and ensuring compliance with Pharmacy policies and procedures and federal/state regulations. The Pharmacist also provides drug information, clinical consultation and expertise to physicians, staff and patients as needed.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Pharmacist Duties:

• Oversees the daily operations of the Pharmacy and pharmaceutical services (unit dose, controlled substances, IV admixtures, clinical services, investigational drug services, infusion pumps, purchasing and billing).
• Oversees preparation and processing of chemotherapeutic medications and other prescription orders for primary and satellite facilities while ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Plans, coordinates and oversees the activities of Pharmacy and the use of EPIC Willow to perform job.
• Opens and closes the Pharmacy and is responsible for activating and deactivating the Pharmacy alarm system.
• Works with Director of Pharmacy Services to develop Pharmacy policies and procedures to enhance work flow and accuracy of Pharmacy procedures.
• Oversees utilization of Pharmacy supplies, including inventory, disbursements, and ordering for the Pharmacy. Orders, receives, restocks and maintains appropriate inventory for medications, pharmacy supplies and narcotics. Reviews invoices for accuracy and submits for payment.
• Ensures adequate supply of emergency medications is available.
• Maintains daily operations of the Pharmacy computer system.
• Generates and/or maintains appropriate records related to medication distribution and dispensing, including required patient records and prescription order records.
• Ensures Pharmacy compliance with all federal and state regulations.
• Oversees quality control procedures for the Pharmacy, including appropriate checks and balances procedures which ensure accuracy in processing physician orders and preparing and dispensing pharmaceuticals.
• Ensures all Pharmacy equipment maintenance, as required and/or as needed, is performed in order to assure maximum efficiency, safety and accuracy in performance.
• Coordinates disposal of biohazardous waste from the facility.
• Serves as a liaison between Pharmacy, physicians, pharmaceutical representatives, and management.
• Serves as a resource person for physicians, staff and patients/families regarding drug information and other Pharmacy issues and questions.
• Represents the Pharmacy and participates in special meetings as needed.
• Coordinates Pharmacy schedule with the Director of Pharmacy Services.
• Serves as a primary safety consultant in the event of a chemotherapeutic or other hazardous drug spill or exposure incident, and coordinates with the Safety Coordinator to ensure compliance with OSHA standards, including maintenance of facility MSDS notebooks, development of a written hazardous drug program, and implementation of emergency response procedures.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable safety and health regulations, policies and procedures. Complies with established personal protective equipment requirements necessary for protection against exposures to chemotherapeutic agents, blood and body fluids, other potentially infections materials, chemical disinfectants, and other hazardous substances.

Other Pharmacy Duties:

• Processes prescription orders.
• Generates prescription labels.
• Verifies accuracy of prescription labels.
• Oversees preparation of prescriptions in the Pharmacy.
• Verifies prescriptions are prepared correctly.
• Reverifies prescription orders, labels and prepared prescriptions prior to delivery to the nursing unit.
• Dispenses prescriptions to medical oncology nursing unit.
• Enhances workflow by reviewing submitted prescription orders and processing and preparing orders to the extent appropriate and possible.
• Maintains a safe and efficient working environment in the Pharmacy by maintaining a clean work area and following all regulations in accordance with regulatory agencies and Pharmacy policies.
• Performs Pharmacy Technician duties as needed.

Professional Communication:

• Maintains confidentiality in matters relating to all aspects of employment, including patient/family/significant other confidentiality.
• Interacts with patients/family/significant others with a variety of developmental and sociocultural backgrounds in an appropriate manner.
• Provides information to patients and family/significant others that reduces anxiety and conveys an attitude of acceptance, sensitivity and caring.
• Maintains professional relationships and conveys relevant information to other members of the health care team.
• Relays information appropriately over telephones, facsimiles, pagers, and other communication devices, and follows-through as needed.
• Communicates appropriate information to physicians, supervisors, and/or other members of the healthcare team as needed, and follows-through on physician orders and requests.

Teamwork:

• Is a liaison to the EPIC vendor, reporting issues and testing fixes.
• Encourages teamwork and works collaboratively as a health care team member.
• Provides pharmaceutical information as needed to those who require information, including physicians, nursing staff, radiation staff, and other Pharmacy staff.
• Assists with tasks necessary for the efficient and effective operation and organization of the Pharmacy.
• Maintains positive attitude with patients, family/significant others and coworkers.

Professional Development:

• Attends staff meetings and mandatory inservices.
• Participates in continuing education opportunities and maintains licensure.
• Contributes to the quality of patient care and participates in quality improvement initiatives.

Other Duties

Performs other duties as assigned.

Education/Qualifications

Bachelor of Science degree or Doctor of Pharmacy from accredited School of Pharmacy. Current licensure with the State of Illinois as a Registered Pharmacist. Must take EPIC training and successfully pass required tests.

Previous Experience

Two to three years pharmacy experience. Prefer experience in a combined hospital/retail setting and/or experience in a physician practice or ambulatory setting. Prefer oncology pharmacy experience.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Knowledge of basic pharmacy medication order systems, pharmacy procedures and equipment, metric system, drug and medical nomenclature. Knowledge of most common drugs, oncology drugs, and their uses and usual doses. Knowledge and skills to prepare and dispense drugs and medications. Knowledge of safety precautions and procedures related to exposure to chemotherapy and hazardous substances, blood and other potentially infectious materials. Verbal and written English communication skills for safe and effective patient care and to meet documentation standards. Eye, hand, and auditory coordination. Ability to operate office equipment, including telephones, PCs, copiers, facsimiles, etc. Ability to perform drug calculations, use pharmaceutical compounding equipment for compounding sterile and non-sterile products, interpret physician orders, maintain records and responsibility for controlled substances, maintain inventory of drugs and supplies. Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work meeting time constraints. Ability to judge the appropriate action in response to changes, circumstances or problems. Ability to coordinate the work of others; work under pressure with time constraints, meet deadlines and work with frequent interruptions. Ability to maintain professional attitude at all times, function in a sometimes demanding and fast-paced work environment related to changing patient needs, including work with patients with acute, chronic, and complex disease processes and those who are dying. Ability to recognize obvious errors in the preparation or dispensing of pharmaceuticals and investigate for probable cause. Understands errors in processing, preparation or dispensing of pharmaceuticals may delay treatment of patients and/or cause adverse effects, including death. Understands and practices patient confidentiality. A positive attitude towards health care team members and diverse patient populations.

Physical Requirements Of Job

Standing, walking, sitting, carrying, pushing, pulling, lifting, bending, stooping, squatting, crouching, twisting, reaching, handling, kneeling, and wrist and digital dexterity. Ability to receive and interpret instructions; communicate with patients and other health care professionals; and operate pharmacy and general office equipment. Manual dexterity to prepare and dispense drugs and medications. Concentrated mental/visual acuity, corrected vision to work with detail material, and ability to recognize clear liquids, turbid solutions, and chemical reactions. Frequent, prolonged periods of sitting or standing in order to prepare drugs and medications. Frequent bending and reaching. Physical stamina required to endure long periods of preparing drugs and medications. Exerting force (frequently up to 10 pounds and occasionally up to 20 pounds or more) to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including pharmacy supplies, etc. Able to move quickly from place to place on occasion.

Mental Demands

Must be able to work under stress and adapt to changing conditions. Must be