Clinical Staff Pharmacist

Pharmacy Clinical Support Specialist

Working in conjunction with the Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator, this position will provide clinical support and distribution services in coordination with medical staff, nursing, and ancillary services in delivering quality and cost-effective drug therapy to patients. In addition to staffing in the main pharmacy, this position will provide more in-depth analysis of patient clinical data including medical literature review, clinical lab evaluation, and provision of education to the pharmacy, medical, and ancillary staffs. This position will provide leadership for staff pharmacists in the recommendation of changes drug therapy so staff are able to interpret and evaluate physician orders for the most appropriate and cost-effective therapy (e.g. detecting and clarifying therapeutic duplication, preventing unnecessary extended therapy, detecting and preventing drug/drug and drug/nutrient interactions, recognizing drug-related allergies, and recommending formulary substitutions for non-formulary drug orders).

Minimum Qualifications

Work Experience:

• Three years of hospital experience with I.V. admixtures, unit dose, and computer applications preferred.
• Previous clinical hospital pharmacy experience preferred.

Education:

• Doctor of Pharmacy degree required.

Certifications/Licensure:

• Currently licensed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky by the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy required.
• Completion of an ASHP-approved clinical residency program preferred.
• Certification by the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties preferred.

Job Specific Performance Standards

The duties listed below are a summary of the major essential functions of this position. The position may require other duties, both major and minor, that are not mentioned, and specific functions may change from time to time.

• Interpret and evaluate physician orders in order to prepare, calculate, and dispense appropriate medication dosage forms for inpatient and outpatient treatment in accordance with applicable state and federal pharmacy laws, Medical Staff By-Laws, and within the standards of the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
• Compounds and supervises compounding of medications for use.
• Dispenses medications and documents.
• Maintains records on controlled substances
• Assist in supervision of pharmacy technicians, pharmacy acquisitions coordinator, pharmacy administrative specialist, interns, and students in distributive functions and department operations.
• Follows established procedures and guidelines as outlined in the Pharmacy Policy and Procedures for dispensing of medications.
• Review, maintain, and screen patient medication records and profiles for allergies, drug/drug and drug/nutrient interactions, and therapeutic duplications while entering orders and/or verifying patient medications.
• Communicate with the medical staff, nurses, and other healthcare professionals for prompt clarification of orders that are unclear, illegible, or incomplete and to recommend alternatives for inappropriate therapy of non-formulary items.
• Identify and address the needs of different patient age groups and effectively communicate with those patients.
• Monitor medication schedules in relation to the patient's ability to metabolize and eliminate specific drug compounds (i.e. aminoglycoside kinetics, etc.).
• Provide on-site drug information of types to medical, nursing, or other professional staff.
• Serve as an educator of hospital staff and students by preparation of clinical conferences and/or "inservices".
• Provide discharge counseling about medications to patients when requested or required per pharmacy law.
• Provide in-depth analysis of clinical lab data.
• Support staff pharmacists in literature retrieval and interpretation.
• Participate in the nutritional support services of the hospital.
• Provide concurrent and/or retrospective medication usage evaluations.
• Review and follow-up of adverse drug reactions and medication errors as needed.
• Assist with performance improvement studies.
• Participation in committee assignments, such as the pharmacy and therapeutics task force.
• Demonstrates knowledge and proper use of equipment necessary to perform job function.
• Assist the Corporate Director of Pharmacy on creating and monitoring pharmacy policies and procedures to best provide patient care.