Clinical Pharmacist NICU

Job Title: Clinical Pharmacist Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

The Clinical Pharmacist Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a licensed Pharmacist responsible for ensuring optimal drug therapy by designing therapy, monitoring, and dispensing medications following standard operating procedures (SOPs), ACLS, PALS, and USP guidelines. Serves as medication expert. Directs the work of support staff including Pharmacy Technicians. Responsible for ensuring medication management abides by hospital, state, and federal requirements. Manages the daily pharmacy workload within the Neonatal ICU and is also able to cross cover as the Pharmacist across all hospital departments and the Central Pharmacy as needed and be proficient in the medication management of that population. Responsibilities also include but are not limited to: answering general drug questions, attendance on medical rounds, completion of nursing unit inspections, and identification of medication related issues. May function as a Charge Pharmacist as needed

Responsibilities

• Verifies and checks prescriptions/orders adhering to safe medication dispensing practices.
• Reviews prescription order for accuracy and completion.
• Provide medication evaluation during verification, considering patient specific factors, potential for adverse drug reactions, and Drug-Drug / Drug-Disease interactions or equivalent. 15%
• Assess and optimize drug therapy by designing medication therapies that meet the patient specific needs
• Develop, review, assist and maintain, in collaboration with members of the Neonatal Intensive Care Department (and other departments as needed) various protocols and regimens as recommended by evidenced based practice
• Utilize the facility formulary whenever possible to ensure cost-effective care.
• Provide drug information education to patient or patient's care giver as needed. 15%
• Mentors and assists in training; includes but is not limited to: Pharmacists, Interns, residents, within the Neonatal ICU.
• Teach and instruct pharmacy and other multidisciplinary staff on relevant treatment populations such as PDA, respiratory distressed neonates and RSV, feeding and parenteral nutrition including preparation, treatment, and ongoing monitoring of medications involved. 15%
• Responsible for rounding with the Neonatal Intensive Care Team.
• Provide perpetual monitoring of assigned patients through chart investigation, discussion within the healthcare team (including but not limited to the patient, patients' family members, other healthcare professionals), to identify potential for and/or remediation of drug therapy. 15%
• Manage the daily pharmacy workload within the Neonatal ICU.
• Directly supervise the work of pharmacy staff throughout entirety of shift when applicable (technicians, students, residents, and/or interns) to ensure safe and accurate preparation, dispensing, and delivery of medications to meet patient care needs and both federal and state regulations.
• Knowledgeable of all standard operating procedures (SOPs) governing the work of pharmacy staff to mitigate harm to patients and staff. 15%
• Accurately document the monitoring of medication, medication management, potential adverse drug reactions, and similar outcomes through interventions in the electronic health record.
• Includes but is not limited to: EPIC, DoseEdge, Omnicell.
• Maintains documentation that is compliant with state and federal drug control laws. 10%
• Inspect medication storage and prep areas outside of the Pharmacy throughout the hospital monthly. Raise any concerns identified to Nurse leadership and Pharmacy leadership.
• Identifies medication or operational related issues that require remediation and escalates to direct manager. 5%
• May contribute to the process of adding new Neonatal ICU therapies (medications, blood products, or similar therapies) and treatment modalities to formulary through involvement with the P&T committee via development of presentations, education, monographs. 5%
• May function as a Charge Pharmacist as needed. 5%
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and/or Experience Required:

• BS degree in Pharmacy

Education and/or Experience Preferred:

• Education: PharmD
• Experience:
  • Experience as a Hospital Pharmacist
  • Completion of PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency
  • Completion of PGY2 Pediatric Pharmacy Practice Residency

License and/or Certification Required:

• State of Connecticut Pharmacist License
• BLS

License and/or Certification Preferred:

• Board certification in area of specialty
• Advanced training/certification in area of specialty

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge:

• Medications, their doses, indications, monitoring parameters, potential risks and contraindications considering both drug-drug and drug-disease interactions.
• Medication preparation and delivery process.
• Common disease states affecting pediatric populations and their risks and treatments.

Skills:

• Critical thinking and problem solving.
• Utilizing available resources such as medication and/or disease related guidelines to answer questions and/or guide patient therapy to ensure optimal care.
• Teaching and learning.

Abilities:

• Appropriately assess and manage competing priorities.
• Collaborate in an interdisciplinary environment with individuals of varying levels of education, healthcare experience, and licensure.
• Show empathy and support others within the work environment.
• Communicate clearly both orally and written.