Pharmacist

Full-Time Pharmacist – Central Pharmacy | UPMC Hamot

Schedule: Full-Time, Rotating Day and Evening Shifts First Shift: 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Second Shift: 1:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Weekends: Block weekend rotation, currently approximately 1 in every 3 weekends Holidays: Participation in the Pharmacy Department holiday rotation is required

New graduates are encouraged to apply! Previous hospital or health-system pharmacy experience is preferred but not required.

Build Your Career in Acute-Care Pharmacy

UPMC Hamot is seeking a Full-Time Pharmacist to join our Central Pharmacy team. This is an excellent opportunity for both experienced pharmacists and motivated new graduates interested in developing broad experience within a fast-paced, acute-care hospital environment.

Central Pharmacy serves as the operational hub for medication management throughout UPMC Hamot. Pharmacists play a critical role in ensuring medications are reviewed, prepared, distributed, and made available safely and efficiently while collaborating with pharmacy technicians, nurses, physicians, and other members of the healthcare team.

Unlike a position centered on a single patient population or specialty, this role provides exposure to a wide variety of clinical and operational situations across the hospital. Pharmacists develop experience in medication-order verification, sterile products, IV workflows, medication distribution, automation, interdisciplinary problem-solving, and urgent and time-sensitive medication needs.

For a newer pharmacist, the position provides a strong foundation for developing skills in health-system pharmacy. For an experienced pharmacist, it offers variety, autonomy, and opportunities to become involved in pharmacy initiatives, workflow improvement, committees, leadership activities, and career-ladder advancement.

About the Role

Pharmacists are responsible and accountable for providing safe, effective, and cost-effective pharmacotherapy while supporting centralized and decentralized medication-use systems.

Depending on the scheduled Central Pharmacy assignment, responsibilities may include:

• Performing medication-order verification and clinical assessment to support safe and appropriate medication use.
• Supporting IV verification, sterile-product preparation workflows, medication distribution, and other Central Pharmacy operations.
• Assessing patient-specific parameters and incorporating age- and disease-specific characteristics into medication therapy.
• Identifying, mitigating, and preventing medication-related adverse events.
• Responding to urgent and time-sensitive medication needs across the hospital.
• Troubleshooting medication-access, distribution, and other operational issues through resolution.
• Providing medication-related information and support to nurses, physicians, pharmacists, technicians, and other healthcare professionals.
• Supporting pharmacy technicians and collaborating with other pharmacists to maintain safe and efficient workflows.
• Moving between different Central Pharmacy assignments and adjusting priorities as patient-care and operational needs change.
• Serving as a pharmacy resource and liaison to other departments and members of the healthcare team.
• Supporting patient-care quality, medication safety, regulatory compliance, and pharmacy process-improvement initiatives.
• Providing medication- and practice-related education and training and serving as a preceptor for pharmacy students and residents, as applicable.

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role?

The strongest pharmacists on the Central Pharmacy team are dependable, adaptable, collaborative, organized, and calm under pressure. They demonstrate strong attention to detail while maintaining the efficiency necessary to work successfully in a busy acute-care environment.

Successful pharmacists develop strong situational awareness. Rather than focusing solely on the verification queue or their individual assignment, they recognize what is happening throughout the pharmacy, anticipate barriers, appropriately prioritize urgent patient-care needs, and step in when another workflow area requires assistance.

They communicate effectively with technicians, pharmacists, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals and understand when an issue requires escalation. Most importantly, they take ownership of problems and work toward resolution rather than simply passing an issue to another team member.

What We're Looking For

Ideal candidates will demonstrate:

• Strong medication-order verification and clinical assessment skills.
• Sound clinical judgment and a commitment to medication safety.
• The ability to effectively prioritize responsibilities in a high-volume acute-care environment.
• Strong attention to detail while maintaining an efficient workflow.
• Effective communication and collaboration with pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals.
• The ability to independently troubleshoot medication-related and operational issues.
• Flexibility and willingness to work across different Central Pharmacy assignments.
• Strong teamwork and a willingness to assist outside of an assigned workflow area as patient-care and operational needs change.
• Reliability and adaptability across rotating day and evening assignments.
• An ownership mentality and willingness to follow issues through to resolution.

Experience That Can Help You Succeed

Previous inpatient or health-system pharmacy experience is beneficial but not required. Experience with Epic, automated dispensing cabinets, sterile products, IV verification, medication distribution systems, or other acute-care pharmacy workflows may help candidates transition into the position more quickly.

New graduates are welcome to apply. This can be an excellent entry point into hospital pharmacy for a motivated new pharmacist who demonstrates strong clinical fundamentals, good communication skills, sound judgment, adaptability, and a genuine interest in acute-care pharmacy practice.

Why UPMC Hamot Central Pharmacy?

The UPMC Hamot Pharmacy Department provides comprehensive medication-management services designed to support safe, timely, and effective medication use throughout the hospital.

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work as an integrated team, with responsibilities prioritized according to patient-care urgency and operational needs. Team members support one another as workloads change, creating an environment where pharmacists can build experience across multiple aspects of acute-care pharmacy practice.

This position offers exposure to:

• Medication-order and IV verification
• Sterile products and IV workflows
• Medication distribution and automation
• Acute-care pharmacotherapy
• Emergency and time-sensitive medication needs
• Interdisciplinary communication and problem-solving
• Medication safety and quality improvement
• Health-system pharmacy operations
• Pharmacy initiatives, committees, and workflow improvement
• Professional development and career-ladder advancement

Whether you are an experienced pharmacist looking for variety and autonomy or a new graduate looking to establish a strong foundation in hospital pharmacy, this position offers the opportunity to develop broad expertise while making an immediate impact on medication safety and patient care.

Job title and salary will be determined based on education and experience. Responsibilities:

• Interpret and evaluate physician orders and prescriptions to prepare, calculate, and dispense appropriate medication dosage forms for inpatient and outpatient treatment in accordance with the Pennsylvania Pharmacy Practice Act, Federal Drug Laws, and other regulatory organizations.
• Identify and report suspected adverse drug reactions accurately and in a timely manner.
• Sustain the formulary by minimizing non-formulary procurements, utilizing therapeutic interchange protocols, and promoting rational drug therapy selection.
• Review, maintain, and screen patient medication records and profiles for allergies, drug interactions and therapeutic duplications while entering orders and/or verifying medications.
• Organize daily operational duties and assist in the supervision of pharmacy technicians, pharmacy aides, student interns and other ancillary personnel involved in providing pharmaceutical care.
• Adhere to all regulatory requirements, professional standards of practice, and hospital quality management policies and procedures in providing pharmaceutical care.
• Communicate with physicians and nurses to ensure prompt clarification of orders that are unclear, illegible, or incomplete.
• Provide drug information and/or educational programs to healthcare professionals and pharmacy students.
• Utilize all available computer systems and technologies in the provision of pharmaceutical care.
• Fill prescription orders in accordance with State and Federal regulations, utilizing technological resources and equipment.
• Prepare and dispense intravenous admixture solutions, as required, using aseptic technique in an accepted sterile product preparation area.

• Graduate of an ACPE accredited College of Pharmacy
• B.S in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree
• Required: Current licensure as a Pharmacist in practicing state
• Entry Level – no previous experience required; pharmacist experience preferred.
• Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
• Pharmacist
• Act 34