Pharmacist Lead - Non-Sterile Operations

The Nemours Foundation•Orlando, FL

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Nemours is seeking a Pharmacist Lead - Non-Sterile Operations (Full-Time), to join our Nemours Children's Health team in Orlando, Florida. This supervisory position oversees Nonsterile Pharmacy Operations, regulatory requirements, and pharmacy personnel. The role is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day Nonsterile Operations within Nemours Children's Hospital (NCH) to ensure patient pharmaceutical needs are met. This includes coordinating, monitoring, and maintaining Nonsterile Products pharmacy services while assuring patient safety through clinical, pharmaceutical, operational, and regulatory knowledge. The pharmacist will provide oversight of Nonsterile Products Operations, compounding personnel, production practices, Pyxis, and the CII safe area, ensuring accuracy, safety, and waste reduction through Standardized Operating Procedures. The position involves managing Pyxis, the CII safe, and the compounding of nonsterile pharmaceuticals, establishing and reviewing quality checks, leading staff in daily workflow accuracy, and ensuring productivity in areas such as order verification, cart fill, first dose oral, oral syringes, Pyxis stock replenishment, medication delivery, prepacking, emergency box replacement, inventory management, and code cart restock. The role also includes supervising the drug distribution system, evaluating alternatives, and resolving issues. The Pharmacist Lead will submit Epic tickets for order verification issues and their resolution, identify and resolve pharmacy Non-Sterile Products line service problems, and enforce policies promoting cost-effective, appropriate, and safe medication use. Coordination of Pharmacy Staff in Non-Sterile Products processes is key to providing optimal pharmaceutical support. This includes establishing workload requirements, delegating assignments, and ensuring timely and quality service delivery. Production schedules will be coordinated based on projected staffing, workload, and utilization to minimize stock outs and wastage. Strict control and accountability for dispensed and distributed Non-Sterile medications are required. Incident reports focused on Non-Sterile Products, Pyxis, and the CII safe area will be investigated and analyzed. Monitoring ensures Non-Sterile Products practice conforms to Pharmacy Standard Operating Procedures and Reliable Methods, including accurate medication preparation, appropriate labeling, and proper storage. The physical appearance, functions, safety, and staff behavior in Non-Sterile Products processing will be monitored to conform to NCH standards. Standard Operating Procedures for Non-Sterile Products departmental processes will be developed, reviewed, and updated to reflect changes in operational procedures and current standards of practice. Other duties may be assigned to provide departmental flexibility, including acting as a Clinical Staff Pharmacist, providing drug information, and functioning as an information resource. In partnership with the Sterile Operations Pharmacist Lead and Pharmacy Operations Manager, the role ensures appropriate staff scheduling for efficient Non-Sterile Products Production. Orientations and educational in-service programs for Pharmacy staff on Non-Sterile Production Pharmacy Services, including Pyxis and the CII safe area, will be coordinated. Orientation, training, and education for new clinical pharmacists, specialists, technicians, and students on their specific staffing responsibilities, including Pyxis and the CII safe area, will be monitored to ensure 100% completion. Work performance of assigned Pharmacy Technicians will be monitored and evaluated, including formal feedback, personnel action recommendations, and employee appraisal processes. Compliance with Joint Commission and other regulatory standards is required. Procedures will be developed to ensure the pharmacy department meets all legal, accreditation, and certification requirements from the FDA, Board of Pharmacy, Board of Health, DEA, CMS, USP 795, USP 797, USP 800, and Joint Commission. Ongoing measurement and improvement of Non-Sterile Products pharmacy operations will be led. Processes will be implemented and administered to identify system vulnerabilities, establish medication safety best practices, and facilitate medication safety improvement projects, including the management of current and implementation of new technology. Lean management principles will be promoted and used as the department’s primary tool for ensuring a high reliability culture (5S, elimination of waste, JIT, standard work, quality), promoting compliance with standardized procedures/work, identifying “waste” in the Non-Sterile Products process, recommending solutions, and correcting abnormal conditions. The role will act as a liaison with Nursing and Medical staff concerning Non-Sterile Product and Pyxis issues.

Requirements

RPh or PharmD required.
Minimum 3 years of experience as Hospital Pharmacist, preferably with Nonsterile Products, or equivalent PGY-1 and PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency experience (equivalent to 3 years experience).
Minimum of 2 years of supervisory experience or equivalent PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency in Administration.
State of Florida Pharmacy License required.
AHA BLS Certification required within 90 days of hire.
Extensive knowledge of USP 795/797/800 regulations.
Knowledge of improvement, change management, quality & safety principles for healthcare.

Nice To Haves

ASHP Accredited Hospital Certification/Residency preferred.
ASHP or Board Certification in USP 795 preferred.
Lean Management Principles preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversee Nonsterile Pharmacy Operations, regulatory requirements and pharmacy personnel.
Coordinate, monitor, and maintain Nonsterile Products pharmacy services.
Assure patient safety through providing clinical, pharmaceutical, operational, and regulatory knowledge of nonsterile products.
Provide oversight of Nonsterile Products Operations, compounding personnel, nonsterile product production practices, Pyxis, and the CII safe area.
Maintain accuracy, safety, and the reduction of waste through the implementation of Standardized Operating Procedures for Nonsterile Products processing.
Manage aspects associated with Pyxis, the CII safe, and the compounding of nonsterile pharmaceuticals.
Establish and review compounded nonsterile products for quality checks.
Lead pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in the Nonsterile Products area in daily workflow accuracy.
Ensure Nonsterile Products productivity (Nonsterile products production to include, but not limited to Order verification, Cart fill process, first dose oral, oral syringes, Pyxis stock replenishment, Medication Delivery, prepacking, emergency box replacement, inventory management of nonsterile products and code cart tray restock process).
Supervise the day-to-day Non-Sterile Products production and drug distribution system, evaluate alternatives, and follow up on issues and concerns.
Submit Epic tickets for any issues related to the order verification of Non-Sterile Products and subsequent validation within Epic of resolution.
Identify and resolve pharmacy Non-Sterile Products line service problems.
Enforce policies and procedures that promote cost effective, appropriate, and safe medication use.
Coordinate the activities of the Pharmacy Staff completing Non-Sterile Products processes to provide optimal pharmaceutical support to patients that is safe, cost effective, and appropriate.
Coordinate and organize the Non-Sterile Products processes by establishing workload requirements and delegating assignments to maintain an appropriate staffing level and ensure that the services and responsibilities of the department are provided in a timely and quality manner.
Coordinate production schedules based on projected staffing patterns, workload, and utilization in such a way that minimizes stock outs (<1%) and expiration date wastage.
Ensure strict control and accountability for Non-Sterile medications dispensed to patients or distributed to floor stock.
Investigate and analyze incident reports focused on Non-Sterile Products, Pyxis and CII safe area.
Monitor and ensure Non-Sterile Products practice conforms to the Pharmacy Standard Operating Procedures and Reliable Methods for the appropriate and efficient preparation and utilization of non-sterile pharmaceutical products within Nemours Children’s (NCH).
Monitor to ensure that medications are prepared accurately in appropriate containers, labeled in an appropriate manner and stored in the recommended environment (temperature, humidity, lighting, etc.) in a manner that minimizes cost due to wastage.
Monitor and ensure the physical appearance, functions, safety and staff behavior performance in Non-Sterile Products processing conforms to Nemours Children’s (NCH) standards.
Develop, review, and update Standard Operating Procedures of Non-Sterile Products departmental processes to ensure that the procedures reflect changes in operational procedures and/or current standard of practice.
Perform other related duties as assigned by authorized personnel to provide departmental flexibility to patient care needs including those for emergency situations such as: Acting as a Clinical Staff Pharmacist when necessary, Providing drug information and functioning as an information resource.
In coordination and partnership with the Sterile Operations Pharmacist Lead and Pharmacy Operations Manager, ensure the scheduling of appropriate and competent technician and pharmacist staff for the efficient and effective operation of the Non-Sterile Products Production in the Department of Pharmacy.
Coordinate orientations and educational in-service programs for the Pharmacy staff on the appropriate utilization of Non-Sterile Production Pharmacy Services, including Pyxis and the CII safe area.
Monitor and ensure Non-Sterile Products orientation, training and education of all new clinical pharmacists, clinical specialists, technicians and students is 100 % completed for their specific staffing responsibilities. This includes Pyxis and the CII safe area.
Monitor and evaluate work performance of assigned Pharmacy Technicians including providing and documenting formal feedback to personnel when necessary, recommending and initiating personnel action, and providing and documenting employee appraisal processes.
Ensure compliance with Joint Commission and other regulatory standards as they apply to assigned duties and responsibilities.
Develop Non-Sterile Products procedures that ensure the pharmacy department meets all legal, accreditation, and certification requirements posted by the FDA, Board of Pharmacy, Board of Health, DEA, CMS, USP 795, USP 797, USP 800 and Joint Commission.
Lead and ensure ongoing measurement and improvement of Non-Sterile Products pharmacy operations.
Implement and administrate Non-Sterile Products processes that identifies potential system vulnerabilities, establishes medication safety best practices and facilitates medication safety improvement projects.
Promote and use Lean management principles as the department’s primary tool for ensuring a high reliability culture (5S, elimination of waste, JIT, standard work, quality), promote and comply with standardized procedures/work, identify “waste” in Non-Sterile Products process and recommend solutions for implementation and correct abnormal conditions.
Act as a liaison with Nursing and Medical staff concerning Non-Sterile Product and Pyxis issues.