Assistant Director of Inpatient Operations, Pharmacy
About The Position
The Assistant Director of Inpatient Operations, Pharmacy, oversees medication management and preparation throughout the Strong Memorial Hospital (SMH) main inpatient pharmacy, including ordering, production, dispensing, and monitoring. The role works with pharmacy, nursing, hospital, and other departmental leadership to establish strategic goals that improve the safety and efficacy of medication management for SMH inpatients and supporting clinics. Its scope includes drug distribution processes such as medication repackaging, stocking, preparation, labeling, and dispensing, as well as staff oversight and development. Direct reports include pharmacist managers for Central Distribution, Pediatric Pharmacy, and Compounding; the Technician Operations Supervisor; and other designated roles. The position leads operational planning, quality and safety initiatives, regulatory compliance, staff management, strategic projects, budgeting, and integration of pharmacy processes with the electronic medical record. It develops short- and long-term plans for pharmacy services and growth, supports clinical initiatives, oversees operational and financial performance, and collaborates with pharmacy informatics and other leaders to standardize medication-use processes.
Requirements
- Pharmacy degree from an ACPE-accredited school.
- At least 5 years of health-system or other relevant pharmacy experience.
- Licensed Pharmacist in New York State upon hire (PHARMD).
- Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.
Nice To Haves
- At least 3 years of management or administrative experience is strongly preferred.
- Master's degree in management preferred.
- Advanced degree (MBA or MSBA) or residency with administrative experience preferred.
Responsibilities
- Evaluate and develop safe, efficient medication-use practices for SMH inpatient units and associated clinics in collaboration with pharmacy and non-pharmacy leaders.
- Provide input, data, and outcome measures for pharmacy strategic planning with nursing, provider, and other service-level leadership teams.
- Develop and implement patient-safety programs, outcome targets, staff competency initiatives, and medication-management programs.
- Attend and actively participate in operational committees and meetings concerning pharmacy services, medication-use policies, and guidelines.
- Work with departmental leadership and URMC affiliates to standardize medication-use approaches and address barriers to safe and effective systems.
- Maintain expertise in regulatory guidance, develop gap-analysis tools and compliance plans, and report plans for addressing regulatory issues to senior leadership as needed.
- Develop plans to use existing and new technologies or devices to improve patient and employee safety in medication-use processes.
- Review inpatient medication-dispensing safety incidents, coordinate follow-up using safety tools such as Root Cause Analysis and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, and oversee related quality-improvement work.
- Develop and implement policies, procedures, and Standard Operating Procedures for inpatient pharmacy services to meet regulatory and accreditation requirements and address risks or gaps.
- Represent UR Pharmacy at state and national meetings and contribute to medication-use standards and guidelines in oncology practice areas.
- Supervise and evaluate pharmacist managers, the Technician Operations Supervisor, and other direct reports; hold managers accountable for strategic goals through regular meetings.
- Provide pharmacy staff with updates on projects and plans in coordination with area managers.
- Address staff-engagement issues using surveys and other tools, develop improvement plans, and report progress to senior Pharmacy Leadership.
- Oversee hiring, training, staff development, competency assessments, and retention in areas of responsibility in conjunction with area managers.
- Develop short-term (1–3 years) and long-term (>3 years) strategic plans for pharmacy services and growth, including space changes and technology assessment and implementation.
- Support development and implementation of patient-care clinical initiatives with departmental clinical leadership through medication-use-system operations.
- Contribute to the annual operating budget and annual capital requests for the main inpatient pharmacy.
- Develop and oversee Business Improvement Plans, report results to pharmacy senior leadership and other leaders as appropriate, and address cost-saving targets and performance.
- Oversee the main inpatient pharmacy budget, reconcile monthly FTE manpower and charge/expense reports, and explain variances to the supervisor as needed.
- Analyze staffing plans and develop business cases for staff expansion using workload and/or cost-benefit support.
- Participate in financial-management and revenue-integrity committees or meetings relevant to pharmacy services.
- Work with the Pharmacy Informatics Team to develop standardized medication-use processes through the EMR, implement safe-practice recommendations, and evaluate new features and functionality.
- Coordinate with pharmacy managers and leaders to integrate updates and new programs with departmental strategic goals.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
