Clinical Pharmacist Full Time Rotating

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare•Palos Heights, IL

4d•$61 - $83•Hybrid

About The Position

The Clinical Pharmacist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. The Clinical Pharmacist is responsible for identifying, preventing, and/or resolving medication related problems; for providing authoritative information to other health care professionals, patients, and the public; and for assuring that the informational, clinical, and drug distribution components of pharmacy services function as an integrated system to provide patient centered care to the patients and staff of Northwestern Medicine. The mission of the Department of Pharmacy is to deliver the safest, highest quality, most effective and efficient patient care while developing the best people, advancing research, and integrating pharmacy services to successfully coordinate care across the Northwestern Medicine enterprise. The vision of the Department of Pharmacy is to be a recognized as a national leader in advancing the pharmacy enterprise through excellence, innovation, education and research.

Requirements

Active Clinical Pharmacist license in the state of Illinois (IDFPR)
Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree
Current license to practice pharmacy in the State of Illinois
Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree
Minimum 1 year experience working as a pharmacist in retail, hospital, or mail order setting
Excellent communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills
Strong customer service and organizational skills
Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a cross functional work environment
Must be detail-oriented with the ability to handle multiple demands simultaneously
Proficient computer skills (Excel, Cognos, PowerBi) including the ability to navigate through a database and run reports
Current license to practice pharmacy in the State of Illinois
Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree

Nice To Haves

Training and knowledge of specialty areas (neonatology, critical care, oncology, etc.)
Completion of a pharmacy residency program or equivalent hospital pharmacy experience
Clinical informatics pharmacist educational requirements and qualifications
Experience with EPIC, Omnicell, and/or warehouse management system (WMS)
Experienced in regulatory, compliance, and/or safety pharmacy
Completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program or at least 3 years of pharmacy practice experience
Completed an ASHP-accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency in Medication-Use Safety and Policy or Health System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership
Experienced in formulary management, drug information
Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program or at least 3 years of pharmacy practice experience
Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency in Medication-Use Safety and Policy or Drug Information
Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program or at least 3 years of pharmacy practice experience with an Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infectious Diseases focus. OR Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency in Infectious Disease and/or Infectious Disease-focused fellowship AND Currently holds at least one of the following: Board Certification in Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy OR Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy with Added-Qualification in Infectious Diseases
Maintains BCPS or similar certification(s).

Responsibilities

Interprets medication orders to ensure safety and proper use of medications and is alert to compatibilities, incompatibilities, medication duplication, medication allergies, and potential medication administration errors. Coordinates the solving of medication related problems between pharmacy, nursing, and prescribers, demonstrating initiative and sound judgment.
Monitors medication therapy for significant drug-drug, drug-diet, or drug-laboratory test interactions. Intervenes in circumstances of significant interactions, therapeutic duplications, and other occasions where pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic expertise is warranted.
Evaluates and documents that the medication(s) selected are appropriate for achieving the desired therapeutic outcome. Communicates potential problems and likely solutions to the prescriber.
Acts as a consultant in the areas of pharmacokinetics and adverse reactions to physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Participates in all therapeutic drug monitoring or intervention programs; adjusting therapy as indicated by patient condition and laboratory results.
Processes all medication order information into the Electronic Health Record to ensure accuracy of records regarding past, current and future dispensing and charging.
Maintains a comprehensive pharmacy patient profile. The profile should include age, maturation, weight, allergies, diagnosis, estimated and actual pharmacokinetic parameters, and pertinent information which may affect medication therapy decisions.
Oversees the packaging labeling, and distribution of medications for all patients and employees according to established policies, procedures, and guidelines. Monitors the use of scheduled medications on the nursing units and maintains controlled inventories of medication in the dispensing areas.
Compounds and dispenses pharmaceuticals including sterile products, chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition products.
Verifies medication orders before delivery to patient care areas and ensures accuracy and completeness. Resolves discrepancies as necessary.
Reviews all laboratory data for appropriateness of medication use and recommends changes when needed. Including microbial culture and sensitivity data, toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, etc.
Develops and presents orientation, education and training programs for medical, nursing, hospital and pharmacy staff, as well as assisting in the educating of pharmacy students, residents, and fellows.
Educates patients and their families about specific medications.
Responds to emergency situations to assist with medication management (e.g. response to cardiac arrests)
Provides accurate and timely medication information and or teaching to healthcare professionals or patients.
Maintains the hospital formulary and acts to limit medication usage to formulary items when appropriate
Documents all clinical activities and interventions performed. Collects data, maintains logs, records and other documentation as required by the department
Communicates professional knowledge effectively in both oral and written forms to patients and other health professionals.
Participates in quality improvement and medication use review activities of the department.
Organizes, prioritizes, and plans workload within given time constraints. Works cooperatively with fellow pharmacists to oversee and direct the activities of the work area, to assign work to technicians, and to assure that the established department objectives are accomplished
Reviews restocking automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) throughout the hospital and resolves any problems.
Ensures compliance with hazardous waste collection and disposal procedures.
Maintains proficiency and expertise in area/s of practice through continuous professional development.
All other job duties as assigned.
Oversees and facilitates use of current and future clinical information systems to drive medication management transformation across the enterprise to promote patient safety, support workflow, and optimize efficiency.
Participates in planning, research, development, implementation, and evaluation of pharmacy and clinical systems and services within NMHC.
Responsible for oversight of drug management within pharmacy clinical systems (EPIC, Omnicell, Tecsys).
Integrates effective use of technology to improve medication management processes and drug safety evaluation
Performs routine audits and/or reviews to evaluate formulary compliance and quantify impact of institutional decisions, guidelines, and initiatives
Coordinates and/or participates in other identified quality initiatives, based on the needs of the department or organization
Supports the planning, designing, implementing, evaluating, and maintaining medication use processes for improvement initiatives as it relates to formulary management and optimization of medication use
Ensures compliance with laws governing the practice of pharmacy and distribution of drugs
Assist with pharmacist drug verification processes during staffing needs
Maintains oversight of compliance with USP 795/797/800
Maintains oversight of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulatory bodies and laws and ensures readiness for audits and surveys in collaboration with Drug Information/Policy, Medication Safety, and Pharmacy Leadership
Directs management of controlled substance inventory and maintains appropriate documentation in accordance with state and federal regulations
Oversees the management and use of medication error information
Investigates patient safety issues
Promotes event reporting throughout the organization to maintain a fair and just culture
Advises optimization of the smart pump library utilizing infusion data
Ensures compliance with regulatory agency standards and laws including The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and local, state, and federal laws
Collaborates with pharmacy, nursing, and medical leadership to ensure a model of continuous regulatory readiness
Provides safety assessments and facilitates change to improve patient safety based on identified risks
Collaborates with an interdisciplinary team to develop drug diversion prevention and response strategies within the organization
Leads the planning, designing, implementing, evaluating, and maintaining hospital wide processes to support process improvement initiatives, as well as plans to address noncompliance
Provides formulary management oversight and supports the Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committees and Subcommittees
Prepares and/or oversees the preparation of evidence-based monographs and class reviews for P&T Committees
Coordinates and/or participates in Medication Use Evaluations
Participates in the development of clinical guidelines, policies, and protocols to optimize medication utilization
Educates health care professionals using multiple communication methods, such as newsletters, emails, and the online formulary
Performs evidence-based scientific evaluation of medical literature
Precepts and provides experiential training to pharmacy students and residents
Improves patient care outcomes through formulary management, medication use policy development, and P&T Committee initiatives
Identifies high cost, high volume, and/or high-risk drugs to monitor appropriate use and develop organizational approaches and strategies to optimize medication use
Contributes to the following duties:
Maintain documentation of TJC/CMS performance measures to ensure compliance.
Identify and implement: Education strategies to improve antimicrobial use across the hospital, promote ADSP initiatives and mission with valued stakeholders. Priority interventions (e.g., prospective audit and feedback, preauthorization, hospital-specific treatment recommendations). Tracking of antimicrobial use for monitoring and benchmarking (e.g., impact of interventions, prescribing habits, antimicrobial resistance patterns). Reporting antimicrobial use and resistance patterns (e.g., EDW, NHSN). Organization-approved policies and procedures (e.g., annual antibiograms, treatment and prevention pathways, influenza/COVID-19 action planning, oversight of NM ASP Website). Optimal diagnostic testing to facilitate rapid optimization of antimicrobial therapy, improve patient outcomes and shorten length of stay.
Supports existing goals and projects while seeking new opportunities to improve the ADSP.
Coordinates with essential hospital departments and Northwestern Medicine System partners to sustain expansion and awareness of the ADSP (e.g., clinicians, infection control, microbiology, nursing, department/program heads, quality improvement & patient safety, information technology).
Participates in the System Pharmacy and Therapeutics ADSP Subcommittee.
Precepts clinical trainees (ID PGY-2 pharmacy resident, PGY-1 pharmacy residents, ID fellows, pharmacy students, medical residents).
Rounds with ID consult service and evaluates patient pharmacotherapy for appropriateness of drug selection, dosage, dosage form, route, and duration, considering individual patient characteristics and clinical status.
Triages non-formulary requests for antimicrobial therapies and manage the antimicrobial drug formulary.
Reports adverse drug events (ADEs) in Northwestern Memorial’s confidential reporting system and collaborates with departmental and medication safety leadership to ensure continuous improvements in antimicrobial medication safety.
Leads and participates in collaborative research projects.
Responsible for following all NM medicine Best Practice Procedures
Transfer prescriptions into and out of pharmacy with appropriate documentation
Receive, verify, obtain, and document refill authorizations and accurately fill prescriptions
Use good professional judgment in the dispensing of medications
Comply with all local, state, and federal regulations regarding mandatory consultations on prescription and OTC drugs
Answer phone calls in an expedient and courteous manner using appropriate greeting and identification
Perform final audit on prescriptions filled by technicians
Supervise ancillary personnel, students, and technicians
Complete incident reports for prescription errors within 24 hours of notification of error
Assist in maintaining a clean and professional pharmacy
Assist with the maintaining of pharmacy computers and equipment
Assist in training other pharmacy personnel
Teamwork approach to daily work routine which involves the ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with peers and management
Attend all pharmacy staff meetings as required
Effectively work in respective clinical area outside of specialty pharmacy
Be able to cross-cover other clinical areas for absences/vacations/work overflow
Competent knowledge of technician procedure manual
Process pharmacy sales and complete all signature logs as required
Perform register functions as needed
Effectively communicate with co-workers, customers, and other health care professionals
Assist in inventory management
Understand third party specific requirements for prior authorization and be able to complete prior authorizations
Understand drug specific Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) requirements and be able to identify what is needed for REMS fulfillment. Complete any forms or authorizations of which you are able to.
Able to take after hours call on a rotating basis and be able to independently triage or fulfill any patient requirements during this time
Accurately and appropriately document information in electronic medical record (EMR), and Therapy Management System.
Must notify organization/department within one business day in the event of an adverse change of one’s licensure or certification status
Works under collaborative practice agreements with physicians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants to manage patient therapeutic needs related to heart failure, HTN, hyperlipidemia, anticoagulation, diabetes and other chronic conditions as needed.
Collaborates with physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, dieticians, care coordinators and others to address patient treatment needs related to heart failure, HTN, hyperlipidemia, anticoagulation, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Maintains clinical competence in key therapeutic areas including heart failure, HTN, hyperlipidemia, anticoagulation, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Participates in inpatient rounding on heart failure patients and other patients as needed. Provides patient heart failure education at the time of hospital discharge.
Supports the clinical team in the areas of appropriate medication prescribing, medication affordability, medication adherence, and vaccine promotion, as needed.
Provides clinical trial assistance as needed.
Serves as an ambulatory clinical pharmacy resource for physicians and practices in the CDH, Delnor, Kishwaukee, Marianjoy and other service areas as needed.
Prepares and presents information at various committees, as needed.
Develops communication materials to support clinical initiatives, as needed.
Maintains BCPS or similar certification(s).
Works under collaborative practice agreements with physicians, advanced practice nurses, and physician assistants to manage patient therapeutic needs related to hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and other chronic conditions as needed.
Collaborates with physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, dieticians, care coordinators and others to address patient treatment needs related to hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
Meets with patients individually to provide medication support and monitoring either by 1) managing directly or 2) in partnership with physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, dieticians, medical assistants, care coordinators, and other members of the Ambulatory Care Clinic team.
Adjusts therapy as indicated by patient condition and laboratory results.
Educates patients and their families about medications.
Communicates professional knowledge effectively in both oral and written forms to patients and other health professionals.
Maintains a comprehensive EPIC patient profile. The profile will include pertinent information which may influence medication therapy decisions.
Maintains a current medication list in EPIC by performing medication reconciliation at each patient visit.
Bills for clinical services provided where appropriate.
Develop communication materials to support clinical initiatives, as needed.
Presents clinical information to patient groups, as needed.
Participates in Medical Resident, Pharmacy Resident, and Pharmacy Student Training
Participates in quality improvement and medication use review activities of the center.
Organizes, prioritizes, and plans workload within given time constraints. Works cooperatively with other members of the team to assure established center objectives are accomplished.
Maintains proficiency and expertise in area(s) of practice through continuous professional development.
Prepares and presents information at various committees, as needed.
Develop and implement strategies to improve health outcomes across targeted populations, focusing on quality performance metrics.
Analyze clinical and claims data to identify care gaps, stratify risk, and support data-driven decision-making.
Collaborate with prescribers and care teams to coordinate patient outreach and close quality care gaps.
Monitor and report on key performance metrics tied to value-based care initiatives and payer contracts.
Design and optimize workflows that support medication adherence, care transitions, and patient engagement across diverse populations.
Educate healthcare teams on evidence-based guidelines, coding practices, and population health goals to drive system-wide improvement.
Leverage health IT systems to track interventions, measure impact, and support continuous quality improvement efforts.
Conduct targeted digital or telephonic outreach to patients identified with medication adherence gaps, focusing on chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.
Educate patients on the importance of medication adherence, addressing barriers such as side effects, cost, or misunderstandings about therapy.
Document outreach efforts and patient-reported reasons for non-adherence to inform follow-up care and workflow improvement.
Collaborate with pharmacy teams, providers, and case managers to resolve medication-related issues and support transitions of care.
Track and report adherence outreach outcomes to evaluate impact and guide future interventions and resource allocation.
Use payer tools and EMR-based patient lists to prioritize high-risk patients and ensure timely outreach and follow-up