Staff Pharmacist (Inpatient Pharmacy)

Job Description

Job Description

The Inpatient Staff Pharmacist is responsible for the evaluation, preparation and dispensing of medications from the Augusta Health Inpatient Pharmacy in accordance with all applicable professional standards, facility procedures, and legal requirements. 

Primary job duties include:  

• Primarily works as a pharmacist in the main pharmacy and it's satellites. Rotates through first and second shift, every 3rd weekend and the occasional 3rd shift. 
• While on duty, ensure that all drug procurement, storage, preparation, distribution and dispensing activities are performed in manner that ensures full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and national standards of practice.
• Supervise pharmacy technicians, technician trainees, and pharmacist interns while on duty. This includes monitoring, prioritizing, and directing workflow and workload. Checks technician work for accuracy, completeness and quality; assures appropriate techniques are utilized in the preparation, compounding, and dispensing of all medications for correct dose, dosage form, time, and are consistent with department policy.
• Oversee the distribution and handling of all controlled substances including record keeping, documentation, accuracy, and resolution of medication discrepancies.
• Demonstrates a knowledge of metric weights and measures, pharmaceutics, medications mechanism of action, routes of administration, proper administration concentrations, appropriate rate of administration, and medication incompatibilities; demonstrates problem solving skills regarding difficult medication therapy problems and pharmacy issues.
• Assist in the maintenance and optimization of pharmacy automation and other software technologies.
• Review medication orders for completeness, accuracy, and legality, determining the presence of medication therapy problems in a patient’s current medication therapy.
• Displays initiative in preventing, identifying, and resolving pharmacy care problems, including following up with appropriate health care professional on medication related issues.
• Ensures that medication regimen is consistent with the Augusta Health Drug Formulary, and all medication use guidelines and policies.
• Initiate drug therapy regimens as authorized by protocols, including the ordering of laboratory tests to monitor drug therapy for safety and efficacy. Coordinate ordering, timing, and evaluation of serum drug concentrations, dose adjustments for altered renal function, intermittent dialysis, and continuous renal replacement therapy, convert routes of medication administration, modify therapy to standardized doses as needed and provide recommendations for pharmacokinetic follow-up for appropriate drugs.
• Provide reliable drug information to physicians, nurses, patients, caregivers, and other members of the health care team.
• Engage in the training of pharmacy students through participation in IPPE and APPE related activities.
• Assist in the monitoring, prevention, reporting and coordination of performance improvement activities. Pharmacists identify and report adverse drug events, drug interactions, and medication errors as well as serve on department- and organization-wide committees and ensure organizational compliance with accreditation standards related to medication use systems

License Requirements:

• Licensed as a Pharmacist by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Skill Desired:

• Effectively reads, writes, speaks, and understands English; possesses strong communication, interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills; able to troubleshoot problems and suggest solutions.
• Comfortable working in a busy, fast paced environment while staying organized and demonstrating attention to detail.
• Ability to be a team leader and work within a team.
• Willingness to learn new skills and adapt to change.
• Demonstrates a high level of patience and compassion when working with patients and customers.
• Ability to learn and use pharmacy software.

Come join the Augusta Health team located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Fishersville, VA. Augusta Health is an independent, community hospital recognized as one of Healthgrades’ 50 Best Hospitals in America. Our mission is to promote the health and well-being of our community through access to excellent care. We build trust and peace of mind through our core values of patient-and community-centeredness, professionalism, excellence, and teamwork.

Equal Opportunity:

Augusta Health recruits, hires and promotes qualified candidates for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran or military discharge status, and family medical or genetic information.