Advanced Clinical Pharmacist

HCA Healthcare•Aurora, CO

About The Position

The Advanced Clinical Pharmacist is responsible for the safe, effective, and cost-effective selection and use of medications for patients. The pharmacist applies advanced knowledge, skills, and professional judgment while providing pharmacy services across adult and pediatric inpatient areas, satellites, operating rooms, the Emergency Department, specialty areas, and outpatient services. The role includes direct supervision of support personnel in the assigned area and may include acting as a supervisor when assigned. The pharmacist advocates for patients by evaluating medication orders in light of disease states, age, laboratory values, and other relevant information, and intervening when appropriate. As a member of multidisciplinary rounding teams, the pharmacist collaborates with healthcare professionals and represents pharmacy. The role supports regulatory and quality measures, reviews medication costs and utilization, provides evidence and recommendations to prescribers, and establishes and reviews evidence-based order sets. The pharmacist stays current with pharmacy literature and advances personal and departmental knowledge through education and staff in-services. The pharmacist participates actively in at least one hospital committee and establishes at least one pharmacy-management-approved project per calendar year to improve clinical practice or drug utilization. The position also includes medication dispensing and monitoring, clinical consultation, quality improvement activities, staff education and supervision, and department operations. The pharmacist works independently with minimal supervision and performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Registered Pharmacist in the State of Colorado.
B.S. or Pharm.D. degree in Pharmacy.
Minimum of three years of clinical experience.
BCLS/ACLS certification through AHA or ARC.
Ability to prepare and dispense medications safely and accurately, including sterile, chemotherapy, and parenteral nutrition preparations.
Ability to evaluate medication regimens, interpret medication orders and patient charts, and provide clinical consultation and evidence-based recommendations.
Ability to supervise and direct pharmacy support personnel.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and organize and prioritize assignments.
Ability to use automated systems; access and privileges for Automated Dispensing System (ASDS-Pyxis) and Meditech are specified.
Ability to communicate effectively, maintain strict confidentiality, and comply with HIPAA and applicable policies and regulations.

Nice To Haves

BCPS certification preferred.
Graduate of an accredited residency program preferred.
Previous management or project management experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Safely and accurately prepare and dispense medication orders, including sterile, chemotherapy, and parenteral nutrition preparations, following established policies, procedures, and protocols.
Review computerized physician order entry (CPOE) orders for accuracy and appropriateness; clarify unclear, unsafe, or inappropriate orders and maintain accurate patient medication profiles.
Evaluate medication therapy for contraindications, interactions, allergies, dose and drug appropriateness, and therapeutic duplication; participate in drug therapy management protocols, including pharmacokinetics, renal dose adjustments, LMWH dosing in obesity, warfarin dosing, and IV-to-oral conversion.
Review culture and susceptibility data for antibiotic appropriateness and recommend changes when needed.
Detect and report suspected adverse drug reactions and medication errors promptly and accurately.
Promote formulary use and cost-effective medication selection, including therapeutic substitutions and alternatives; provide evidence-based recommendations and drug information to practitioners.
Provide medication information to patients and families and perform applicable medication reconciliation.
Document clinical work using Vigilanz/CPW, act promptly on alerts, discuss warranted alerts with physicians, and document required double checks.
Participate in quality improvement and medication-use review activities; collect data, conduct quality monitoring and inspections, and maintain required logs and records.
Develop and present orientation, education, and training for pharmacy, medical, nursing, and other staff; foster team development by orienting and training new team members.
Supervise and direct pharmacy support personnel, verify pharmacy technicians’ daily activities, and participate in support personnel performance appraisals.
Complete weekly unit medication inspections; identify and replace outdated or unusable medications and address unsafe medication security issues.
Keep pharmacy areas and equipment clean, organized, and well maintained; answer and direct calls and respond to requests at the pharmacy window.
Perform essential duties of pharmacy supervisors or the director in their absence, and other duties assigned by the supervisor or Director of Pharmacy/Clinical Manager.
Maintain current pharmacist licensure and job competence; attend required training and complete competence and skills assessments.
Work independently, organize and prioritize assignments, provide timely pharmacy services, and adapt to interruptions and changes in workload or schedule.
Maintain confidentiality and comply with HIPAA, health-system policies, safety, medication-use safety, security, fire safety, infection-control, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Communicate and cooperate professionally with patients, families, visitors, staff, physicians, nursing personnel, information systems, vendors, students, and regulatory agencies.
Participate in at least one designated hospital committee and establish at least one approved clinical-practice or drug-utilization improvement project per calendar year.
Represent pharmacy on multidisciplinary rounding teams and help ensure applicable regulatory and quality measures are followed.
Maintain professional conduct, punctuality, appropriate appearance and identification, sound professional judgment, and a patient- and family-centered approach.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, behavioral health, and telemedicine benefits.
Wellbeing support, including free counseling and referral services.
Paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage, and leaves of absence.
401(k) plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay, based on years of service.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan and flexible spending accounts.
Tuition assistance, student loan assistance, certification support, dependent scholarships, and a partnership with Galen College of Nursing.
Fertility and family-building benefits and adoption assistance.
Life insurance and supplemental health protection plans.
Preferred banking partnerships, retirement readiness tools, rollover support, and financial wellbeing counseling.
Auto and home insurance, legal counseling, identity theft protection, and consumer discounts.