Pharmacist- Clin Specialist - Cardiovascular Medicine

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

Department: Pharmacy - General

Position is located: Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

Work Type: Full Time

Hours Per Week: 40.00

Work Schedule: Variable

Summary:

Clinical specialists are leaders and role-models in their specialty areas and assure that care is being provided in the utmost safe, effective and fiscally prudent manner. These goals are accomplished through mentoring of Pharmacy staff, precepting of students, interdisciplinary patient rounding and committee work. Clinical Specialists must also be able to fulfill the duties and work responsibilities of Clinical Generalist Pharmacist. The Northern Light Health Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in cardiovascular medicine serves as a clinical expert, leader, and role-model in their specialty area including cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular medicine, and anticoagulation. They will assure high quality, and efficiency healthcare is provided to all patients through direct patient care in our cardiac intensive care unit, quality improvement and medication safety work, and the development of other pharmacy staff. They will serve as residency and student preceptor. A clinical specialist is a highly motivated and self-directed clinical team member who bring fresh perspective to advancing quality care. The clinical specialist must also be able to fulfill the duties and work responsibilities of the Clinical Generalist Pharmacist.

Essential function breakdown:

• Clinical care in cardiac intensive care unit (order processing, rounding, patient education, transitions of care coordination, protocol execution, consults, on-call, staffing coverage, etc)

40%

• Quality Improvement project and safety work

15%

• Committee work (policy creation, guideline development, and maintenance of standard operating procedures, formulary management proposals)

15%

• Pharmacy Residency management and education

10%

• Staff Development (Presentations, direct mentoring, educational activities)

7.5%

• Student education and development

7.5%

• Other Duties (multi-disciplinary in services, operational project work, research, liaison with external departments, and others as assigned)

5%

Responsibilities:

• Assists in the orientation of new support and professional staff

• Collaborates with and recommends activities of clinical data-base analyst

• Assists with staffing and clinical work during staffing shortages.

• Proficient in the job responsibilities of a clinical generalist

• Acts as liaison between nursing and pharmacy where clinical or patient services are provided

• Facilitates the development of patient-rounding with physicians program

• Precepts 2 pharmacy residents per year

• Precepts 2 pharmacy students per year

• Educates pharmacists about formulary drugs, their reason for inclusion and how they fit into therapeutics

• Uses e-mail, bulletin boards, resource page and other forms of communication to educate other professionals

• Residency Program Director: Chairperson for Residency Support Group

• Residency Program Director: Interview/recruit two residents annually for PGY1 position

• Residency Program Director: Supervises resident interaction at P&T Committee level.

• Coordinates an integrated pharmacy program capable of effectively intervening and influencing institutional drug-use practices.

• Consults with healthcare professionals and students regarding rational drug therapy

• Counsels patients and public regarding rational drug therapy

• Participates in committee work in clinical practice specialty.

• Completes therapeutic class reviews

• Develops and implements systems capable of identifying and reporting therapeutic opportunities that can be acted on prospectively. Uses statistics from these activities to make recommendations to Executive Medical Staff

• Serves on committees that endorse safe, cost-effective, efficacious, and clinical best-practice use of medication.

• Provides medication inservices to pharmacist, physicians, nurses and other health-care professionals.

• Submits a minimum of one article per year to Pharmacy Newsletter

• Complete working knowledge of medication order entry/review

• Participates in the drug therapy management of medical emergencies when requested.

• Provides nutrition assessments in conjunction of nutrition support personnel for patients covered by EMIC and Family Practice

• Provides drug information for physicians, nurses and patients, utilizing specialized knowledge, critical thinking and available drug resources

• Residency Program Director: Appointments on P&T Committee, Medication Management Function Team Committee, and Department Ad Hoc Committees

• Residency Program Director: Appointments to appropriate drug policy and other committees of the organization

• Self-directed with minimal need of supervision

• Participates in P&T Committee meetings , completes assignments for committee work.

• Participating member of Clinical Specialty Committee

• Performs drug use evaluations of a retrospective nature to test variance of formulary, antibiotic selection, critical pathway departure, etc.

• Provides documentation of all interventions resulting in improved patient care, reduced pharmaceuticals costs or shortened L.O.S.

• Coordinates, implements and maintains Drug Use Protocols

• Identifies ADR's, clinical interventions, pharmacy-based cost savings interventions and reports to Pharmacy Leadership

• Maintains Clinical Projects in Clinical Project Spreadsheet on W:Drive

• Evaluates medical literature and pharmaceutical literature in order to assess new and existing drug agents, new stability data and new therapeutic applications

• Retrieves, analyzes, evaluates and interprets the scientific literature as a means of providing patient/population drug information to healthcare professionals

• Develops policy statements and guidelines for the rational use of drugs.

• Provides recommendations for formulary additions and deletions

• Reports Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR)

• Designs, implements, monitors, evaluates and modifies patient pharmacotherapy to ensure effective, safe and economical patient care in conjunction with the physician

• Develops and implements systems capable of identifying and reporting therapeutic opportunities that can be acted on prospectively. Uses statistics from these activities to make recommendations to the Medical Staff and the Director of Pharmacy

• Assures ongoing improvements in therapy and systems through collaborative problem solving, research and participation in the hospital and department's organizational performance initiatives

• Residency Program Director: Supervises activities of preceptors and residents

• Residency Program Director: Serves as leaders of programs, responsible not only for precepting of residents, but also for the evaluation and development of all other preceptors in their programs. Therefore, RPDs must have documented evidence of their own ability to teach effectively in the clinical practice environment (e.g., through student and/or resident evaluations.

• Residency Program Director: Maintains ASHP Residency Accreditation

• Residency Program Director: Complete RLS folder

• Residency Program Director: A sustained record of contributing to the total body of knowledge in pharmacy practice through publications in professional journals and/or presentations at professional meetings

• Explores cost-reduction, cost-avoiding or revenue producing activities and makes recommendations to Pharmacy Leadership

• Works with Pharmacy Leadership to explore activities that can provide both cost-savings to the institutions and improved patient care.

• Provides on-going clinical and financial data to Pharmacy Leadership

• Develops a continuous system for evaluations for both the cost and effectiveness of drug therapy. Drug costs can be assessed by reviewing acquisition cost, preparation and delivery, number of doses, route of administration and wastage. Indirect costs such as therapeutic failures can also be measured.

• Promotes the use of the Formulary by converting nonformulary orders to formulary when possible

• Documents clinical interventions, cost reduction and cost avoidance as part of the departmental documentation program

• Participates in the generation of new knowledge relevant to the practice of pharmacotherapy, clinical pharmacy, and medicine

• Provides one continuing education program annually for the Pharmacy Department

• Completes at least 15 CE credits per year, plus 5 hours in specialty area or PSAP

• Completes I-Care modules annually

• Continually develops knowledge/skills in applicable practice areas and demonstrates a commitment to continued professional growth by engaging in a life-long process

• Attends one conference annually in clinical specialty

• Provides mentoring to pharmacy students, medical students and staff pharmacists

• Residency Program Director: Completes and participates in Leadership Development

• Residency Program Director: Continually develops knowledge/skills in applicable practice areas and demonstrates a commitment to continued professional growth by engaging in a life-long process of learning and teaching.

• Residency Program Director: Formal recognition by peers as a model practitioner (e.g., board certification, fellow status)

Other Information:

Competencies and Skills

• Behaves with Integrity and Builds Trust: Acts consistently in line with the core values, commitments and rules of conduct. Leads by example and tells the truth. Does what they say they will, when and how they say they will, or communicates an alternate plan.

• Cultivates Respect: Treats others fairly, embraces and values differences, and contributes to a culture of diversity, inclusion, empowerment and cooperation.

• Fosters Accountability: Creates and participates in a work environment where people hold themselves and others accountable for processes, results and behaviors. Takes appropriate ownership not only of successes but also mistakes and works to correct them in a timely manner. Demonstrates understanding that we all work as a team and the quality and timeliness of work impacts everyone involved.

• Practices Compassion: Exhibits genuine care for people and is available and ready to help; displays a deep awareness of and strong willingness to relieve the suffering of others.

Credentials

• Required Registered Pharmacist

Education

• Required Bachelor's Degree

Working Conditions

• Work with computers, typing, reading or writing.

• Lifting, moving and loading 20 to 30 pounds.

• Prolonged periods of sitting.

• Prolonged periods of walking.