Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Summary:

The primary functions of the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist are to develop and provide pharmaceutical care to all patients, including monitoring drug therapy, provision of clinical and drug information, participating in patient rounds in designated areas, and maintaining and developing clinical protocols.

Responsibilities:

1 Develop and lead clinical programming efforts in area of specialty (critical care clinical role, Decentralized pharmacy clinical role, Antibiotic stewardship, central pharmacy automation activities, Oncology clinical services)  Criteria A: develop program plan, criteria, and objectives, lead clinical programming efforts in area of specialty (above);  Criteria B: chair/attend various committees to ensure work is implemented C: develop action plans and monitor work.

2. Interprets, generates, and disseminates knowledge in pharmacotherapy to health professionals Criteria A: Retrieve & evaluate biomedical literature using currently accepted principles of drug literature evaluation and evidence-based medicine. Interprets, generates, and disseminates knowledge in pharmacotherapy to health professionals Criteria B: Participates in interdisciplinary patient care rounds and acts as the clinical and drug information resource to the hospital staff.  Interprets, generates, and disseminates knowledge in pharmacotherapy to health professionals Criteria C: Acts as a clinical pharmacy resource to disseminate pharmacotherapeutic knowledge to patients, students, other health professionals.

3. Designs, recommends, implements, monitors, and modifies system-specific policies and procedures involving internal medicine patients in collaboration with other professionals/administrators to optimize health care Criteria A: Provide expertise to and/or serves on hospital-related committees such as the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and/or other hospital committees. Designs, recommends, implements, monitors, and modifies system-specific policies and procedures involving internal medicine patients in collaboration with other professionals/administrators to optimize health care Criteria B: Develops medication related policies and procedures designed to optimize safe and effective medication use in internal medicine patients. Designs, recommends, implements, monitors, and modifies system-specific policies and procedures involving internal medicine patients in collaboration with other professionals/administrators to optimize health care Criteria C: Assists in development of clinical standards, clinical criteria and proper use of protocols as required. Designs, recommends, implements, monitors, and modifies system-specific policies and procedures involving internal medicine patients in collaboration with other professionals/administrators to optimize health care Criteria D: Participates in initiatives designed to meet and maintain The Joint Commission standards, ensures safe medication use processes and utilizes various data sources to further develop clinical programs.

4. Maintenance of professional knowledge and competence Criteria A: Maintains current drug knowledge and keeps current with trends in pharmacy practice. Maintenance of professional knowledge and competence Criteria B: Completes greater than or equal to 20 continuing education credits annually, 10 of which must be contact hours.

5. Project Management Criteria A: Analyzes scope and extent of project. Project Management Criteria B: Identifies tasks and timelines associated with project completion. Project Management Criteria C: Reports obstacles to project progress to supervisor. Project Management Criteria D: Completes assignments in reasonable time frames.

6. Monitors drug therapy in hospital patients Criteria A: Collects and interprets data to design, recommend, implement, monitor, and modify patient-specific pharmacotherapy in collaboration with other health care professionals to optimize drug therapy Monitors drug therapy in hospital patients Criteria B: Provides medication teaching to patients upon request.

7. Demonstrate current knowledge, ability to work and comply with all pharmacy regulations, specifically USP 797 {standards for preparing compounded sterile preparation}  and USP 800 {standards for protecting workers while handling hazardous medications/substances}, Joint Commission medication management, State of CT drug laws, and CMS code of participation
• Criteria A: ability to reference and look up pharmacy regulations Demonstrate current knowledge, ability to work and comply with all pharmacy regulations, specifically USP 797 and 800, Joint Commission medication management, State of CT drug laws, and CMS code of participation • Criteria B: ability to perform working knowledge of current regulations/requirements of pharmacy regulations Demonstrate current knowledge, ability to work and comply with all pharmacy regulations, specifically USP 797 and 800, Joint Commission medication management, State of CT drug laws, and CMS code of participation
• Criteria C: ability to document and identify patterns of compliance or lack thereof Demonstrate current knowledge, ability to work and comply with all pharmacy regulations, specifically USP 797 and 800, Joint Commission medication management, State of CT drug laws, and CMS code of participation
• Criteria D: ability to document, summarize, and report findings to manager.

8. Performs other duties as assigned.

9.Fulfills all compliance responsibilities related to the position.

Other Information:

Required: Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from an approved college of Pharmacy required. Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree preferred. Registered as a licensed pharmacist or eligible for reciprocity in the State of Connecticut. (Must obtain a registered license within 3 months of employment.) Previous clinical pharmacy practice experience (3 to 5 years) in institutional environment and/or completion of an ASHP-accredited hospital (PGYI) residency Previous training in cellular biology, microbiology, or cellular research preferred Completion of an ASHP-accredited fellowship program preferred.
Minimum Experience: three years
Desired: Member of the local, regional, and national professional organizations preferred. Participates in no less than 15 credit hours annually of professional pharmacy education approved by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. Demonstrated knowledge and compliance with all State, Federal, and malpractice laws of pharmacy practice. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and experience working on interdisciplinary initiatives across all levels of organization

Working Conditions:

Manual: Some manual skills/motor coord & finger dexterity

Occupational: Some occupational risk

Physical Effort: Medium to Heavy effort. May exert up to 35 lbs. force

Physical Environment: Some exposure to dirt, odors, noise, human waste, etc.

Company: Norwalk Hospital Association

Org Unit: 468

Department: Pharmacy

Exempt: Yes

Salary Range: $57.22 - $106.26 Hourly