Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia • Upper Merion Township, PA

3d • $129,700 - $171,900

About The Position

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist provides specialized pharmaceutical services to improve medication use and therapeutic outcomes. The role individualizes medication regimens using pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic principles and works to establish and continually improve pharmaceutical care for patients in areas of direct responsibility. The specialist advises healthcare professionals on drug therapy, toxicity, side effects, dosing, supplies, compatibility, drug controls, and applicable regulations and standards. The position also contributes to the CHOP Formulary, medication safety and quality improvement, and the education of healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, and pharmacy learners.

The specialist reviews pharmacotherapy using the electronic health record and Acuity tool, participates in clinical rounds and order verification, provides consultative services, counsels patients and caregivers, and supports formulary and therapeutic-guideline compliance. The position includes rotating clinical on-call coverage, responding to codes in the assigned coverage area, and staffing duties per departmental rotation. It also supports pharmacy education and training, departmental and hospital quality initiatives, medication safety activities, committee work, clinical pathways and policies, and cost-containment efforts. Other related duties and coverage may be assigned to meet patient-care needs.

Requirements

• Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
• PGY1 residency.
• Extensive knowledge of drugs, medical therapeutics, pharmacokinetics, diagnosis, and disease states.
• Ability to establish and maintain working relationships with members of healthcare teams.
• Ability to communicate clearly in oral and written form.
• Pennsylvania pharmacist license required upon hire.

Nice To Haves

• PGY2 residency.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a consistent clinical pharmacy practice that provides appropriate, efficacious, safe, and cost-effective pharmaceutical support to patients.
• Participate in clinical rounds and contribute to order verification for patients being rounded on.
• Review patient pharmacotherapy using the electronic health record and Acuity tool for appropriateness of dose, dosage form, route, frequency, duration, indication, and fit with the patient's disease state.
• Provide timely consultative services, including drug information and pharmacokinetic support, to healthcare professionals.
• Counsel patients and caregivers on medication use, including directions, preparation, administration, side effects, interactions, contraindications, monitoring, storage, refills, and missed doses.
• Promote compliance with the institution's formulary system and guidelines established by the Therapeutic Standards Committee and Department of Pharmacy.
• Communicate with prescribers and nurses to recommend alternatives to inappropriate therapy or substitutes for non-formulary items.
• Help maintain the CHOP Formulary by writing, editing, reviewing, and presenting formulary monographs; serve as a content expert for formulary materials, drug use evaluations, class reviews, and additions.
• Participate in rotating Clinical On-Call coverage, respond to codes in the assigned coverage area, and perform staffing duties according to departmental rotation.
• Provide experiential and didactic education to healthcare professionals, pharmacy personnel, residents, and students.
• Maintain active credentialing and contribute to pharmacy resident training, including learning experiences, topic or patient discussions, meetings, and presentations.
• Develop and maintain didactic education activities and modules for staff development and pharmacist training.
• Participate in pharmacy student IPPE and APPE training and provide lectures for pediatric pharmacotherapy or other requested classes at the Manager of Clinical Pharmacy's discretion.
• Participate in hospital and departmental quality improvement and medication safety activities.
• Serve as a liaison with multidisciplinary staff regarding prescriptions, orders, medication details, patient reactions, errors, and complaints.
• Participate in scheduled or ad hoc medical staff, nursing, and pharmacy committee meetings.
• Assist with adverse drug reaction data collection and follow-up.
• Maintain records and statistics used to monitor and evaluate clinical pharmacy activities and effectiveness.
• Apply continuous quality improvement principles to analyze and resolve problems in the medication-use process.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of clinical pathways, protocols, and policies involving medication use.
• Support the Department of Pharmacy mission and departmental goals, evaluate service quality, and develop plans to address deficiencies.
• Apply lean principles to support patient safety and satisfaction, comply with standardized procedures and work, identify waste, and recommend solutions.
• Assist in identifying, implementing, and monitoring cost-containment initiatives.
• Perform other related duties as assigned, provide coverage to colleagues when needed, and assume order verification and dispensing responsibilities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree