Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Cardiology Clinic

University of Iowa•Iowa City, IA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This ambulatory pharmacist position works primarily in the Heart and Vascular clinic to provide medication management services to patients with cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis, hypercholesterolemia, pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, and other cardiac conditions. Sample medications this pharmacist could work with include mavacamten, tafamidis, and evolocumab. The specialist works collaboratively with the multidisciplinary healthcare team to provide care for patients in the Heart and Vascular clinic and provide clinical management for medications filled at the UI Health Care Specialty Pharmacy. Clinical management of these medications include answering provider questions about medications, provide education on new therapies and medication devices, assist with medication access, improve patient therapy outcomes through clinical interventions, answer patient questions, and utilize collaborative practice agreements to improve patient care. This pharmacist may also help in other clinics as necessary to ensure team success. The specialist also serves as a role-model/practitioner-educator for Doctor of Pharmacy students and pharmacy residents and carries out clinical practice responsibilities for the Department of Pharmaceutical Care.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy Degree
Eligibility for or current license by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners is required prior to start
Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy practice residency OR 2 years’ experience in a complex multi-disciplinary healthcare environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.
Job-related experience with and/or commitment to service excellence is required.
Professional job-related experience fostering or promoting a welcoming and respectful work/academic environment where people of all backgrounds and perspectives feel welcomed and appreciated; or demonstrated the ability to do so.

Nice To Haves

Satisfactory completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 residency in Ambulatory Care is highly desirable.
Outpatient clinic experience working with cardiology disease states is highly desirable.
Active board certification or experience in other applicable areas is desirable.
Able to work independently, prioritize multiple stakeholders and tasks, manage details and deliver results in an environment with competing demands.
Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work with others

Responsibilities

Patient Care - Participate in the provision of pharmaceutical care in select clinics
Be present in clinics when patients are scheduled to see the clinical pharmacist and when clinical pharmacy services are required.
Complete a comprehensive patient assessment including medication history, pertinent physical assessment, and assessment of relevant laboratory values, patient interview, and an evaluation of past medical history for appropriate patients.
Work with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care providers as a member of the multi-disciplinary team.
Provide disease state management and medication therapy management services through the use of collaborative practice agreements and protocols.
Provide in-depth patient medication assessment and education.
Provide follow-up of therapeutic recommendations through telephone calls and return clinic appointments as appropriate.
Identify, evaluate, and prevent adverse drug events through appropriate interventions.
Communicate therapeutic recommendations to the health care provider.
Document relevant clinical information in electronic medical record.
Coordinate medication-planning activities including facilitation of prescription writing, patient education, coordination with family members or home health care providers, etc.
Collaboratively address financial issues to ensure receipt of needed medications.
Provide drug information and education to health care professionals.
Serve as liaison for ambulatory pharmacy staff regarding patient medication therapy.
Evaluate patient-specific medication regimens to ensure the appropriateness of the following:
Indication
Correct dose
Route of administration
Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-lab, or drug-disease state interactions
Efficacy of therapy
Adherence to therapy
Dose adjustments for organ dysfunction
Adverse drug reactions
Potential drug misuse or abuse
Use of the most cost-effective therapy
Availability of medications on the UI Health Care Formulary (if applicable)
Provide staffing support in Specialty Pharmacy Services when needed
Complete patient follow-up calls to address side-effects/adherence
Residency Training and Student Teaching Programs
Develop goals and objectives for pharmacy residency programs and Doctor of Pharmacy advanced pharmacy practice and introductory pharmacy practice experiences.
Prepare and administer pharmacy student and / or resident rotation evaluations.
Participate in the formal experiential training and didactic teaching required to conduct the pharmacy residency programs and Doctor of Pharmacy advanced pharmacy practice and introductory pharmacy practice experiences.
Participate in recruiting activities for pharmacy residency programs
Provide daily communication and follow-up to other clinical pharmacists, pharmacy areas, and other health care professionals as needed
Provide in-service education to pharmacists as needed.
Provide in-service education to members of the health care team as needed.
Assist physicians, nurses, health care team members, and patients with medication questions, medication access and continuity of care issues.
Documentation of patient care activities in accreditation compliant manners:
Clinical services and patient care activities in the electronic medical record
Patient assessment and therapeutic plan recommendations
Medication errors into standard reporting system
Adverse drug reactions into standard reporting system
Patient allergies and height/weight information as needed
Medication counseling provided to patients
Interventions with prescribers and other health care providers
Clinic and follow-up telephone encounters
Others as required
Develop and provide new department clinical service initiatives, which may require any or all of the following:
Participate in the rotation with other specialists to support 24-hour, 7-day/week on-call coverage to ambulatory care patients for drug therapy issue problem solving.
Develop or contribute to the development of protocols related to appropriate prescribing, dispensing and monitoring of specialty medications.
Provide a leadership role in department or interdisciplinary hospital committees involved with drug therapy issues.
Develop or contribute to the development of drug information resources such as pocket cards and practice guidelines that are distributed hospital wide to foster cost effective, rational prescribing.
Design, implement, and coordinate development of the clinical components of the pharmacy or hospital wide information systems.
Administration
Coordinate therapeutic decision-making when there is a paucity of literature or experience for reference.
Serve as the primary reference source on new drug therapy advances in the specialized area of practice.
Identify and resolve significant/highly unusual patient drug therapy problems.
Complete clinically oriented departmental goals.
Develop and coordinate policies, procedures, and clinical reference documents relevant to the clinical applications of new therapies.
Manage and analyze events related to medication errors – including participation in informal multi-disciplinary sentinel event review teams.
Interview and evaluate prospective professional pharmacy practitioners.
Adhere to all department policies and procedures.
Contribute to the department budgetary process by reviewing, designing, implementing, and monitoring budget initiatives that address hospital wide or unit specific issues.
Participate with the implementation and monitoring of new programs developed either by the Department or through another means (e.g., P&T Committee).
Quality Improvement
Provide a leadership role in university committees involved with drug therapy.
Develop and conduct measurement activities that demonstrate Specialty Pharmacy Service value, including adherence and outcome measures.
Perform quality assurance monitoring of services provided by the UI Health Care Specialty Pharmacy Services.
Develop educational programs to certify the clinical competence of pharmacists and improve the technician understanding of medical conditions being treated.
Other
Conduct research in area of expertise and present/publish results at professional meetings or in professional journals.
Consistently demonstrate the WECARE values and Service Excellence culture of UI Health Care.
Complete and maintain compliance with all competencies and educational requirements