Clinical Pharmacist, Pediatrics MGH

Site: The General Hospital Corporation

 

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

 

 

Job Summary

This position is a General Pediatrics position.

Clinical Pharmacists assume responsibility and accountability for the provision of safe, effective, and prompt medication therapy. Clinical Pharmacists proficiently provide direct patient-centered care and integrated pharmacy operational services with physicians, nurses, and other hospital personnel to deliver optimal medication therapy to patients with a broad range of disease states. These clinicians are aligned with target interdisciplinary programs and specialty services to deliver medication therapy management and to ensure pharmaceutical care programs are appropriately integrated throughout the institution. Pharmaceutical care services include, but are not limited to, assessing patient needs, incorporating age and disease specific characteristics into drug therapy and patient education, adjusting care according to patient response, and providing clinical interventions to detect, mitigate, and prevent medication adverse events. Clinical Pharmacists serve as departmental resources and liaisons to other departments, hospital personnel, or external groups. They proficiently manage the appropriate use of medications according to professional and regulatory standards. They also conduct practice-related research and patient care, quality, and regulatory compliance initiatives designed to improve medication-use processes or pharmacy practice. Finally, Clinical Pharmacists provide medication and practice-related education/training and actively serve as preceptors for pharmacy residents and Doctor of Pharmacy students (MGH Pharmacy Residency website: https://www.massgeneral.org/education/pharmacy-residency.)

 

Required

• Must be eligible for licensure to practice pharmacy in the state of Massachusetts.
• Board Certification by examination, or equivalent certification, in the relevant specialty is preferred, required within 18 months of hiring.

Preferred

• Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 and PGY2 Pediatrics Pharmacy Residency, or experience as a pediatric clinical pharmacist preferred.

Essential Job Functions

• Lead assigned patient service lines, clinical areas, and therapeutic programs:
• Facilitate pharmaceutical care, direct patient care programs, medication utilization systems within assigned care areas to assure drug utilization activities are aligned with patient care needs, evidence-based best practices, hospital guidelines, and regulatory standards
• Design and implement new pharmacy programs, quality improvement changes, and continuous quality assurance initiatives to advance the organization’s medication-use systems and promote optimal patient outcomes
• Design and implement stewardship activities and restriction/surveillance programs
• Track and evaluate assigned pharmacy programs for operational, quality, and financial efficiency and routinely benchmark against local and national best practices
• Develop strategies to optimize medication utilization, including but not limited to clinical guidelines, disease-specific pathways, formulary management, and medication-use policies
• Provide departmental and institutional leadership for committees/meetings, hospital group/task forces, and approved external programs/organizations
• Assure pharmacy is an integral part of the health-care delivery system and facilitates enhancement and expansion of pharmacy services/programs

Deliver direct patient-care and clinical practice, including decentralized and service-based programs:

• Maintain proficiency in decentralized pharmacy services and clinical pharmacy programs
• Place practice priority on the delivery of patient-centered care
• Work as an active member of multidisciplinary team and collaborate with healthcare personnel within care areas
• Establish collaborative pharmacist-patient relationships
• Maintain patient information and interpret patients’ health care needs including patient problem lists and prioritized pharmacist interventions
• Collect and document accurate patient medication histories and reconcile discrepancies
• Identify high-risk patients and implement interventions to improve care quality and safety
• Make appropriate evidence-based, patient-centered medication recommendations
• Implement, evaluate, and redesign pharmaceutical care plans based on patient progress and evolving goals for medication usage, including drug dosing and monitoring
• Provide written documentation in the patient’s medical record when requested
• Obtain and maintain ACLS and BLS certification
• Participate in the management of medical emergencies
• Provide discharge medication review, reconciliation, and counseling as appropriate to help with the transition of care
• Provide evidence-based medication education to physicians, nurses, and other professionals
• Educate patients and care givers regarding safe and effective use of medications, possible medication side effects, and the role of prescribed medications in the overall treatment plan
• Maintain proficiency in hospital computer systems and medication ordering systems
• Interpret, evaluate, and accurately process medication orders
• Complete critical patient monitoring and review patient chart to identify, prevent, or mitigate drug-related problems, improper drug or dose selection, subtherapeutic dosage, over dosage, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, untreated indications, medication use without an indication, and treatment failures
• Follow established standard work parameters and maintains standard work environments

Participates in pharmacy operations and medication dispensing:

• Maintain proficiency in and actively engage in operational programs, central dispensing pharmacies, satellite dispensing pharmacies, and specialty pharmacy areas as appropriate for job assignment
• Facilitate medication procurement, ordering, and dispensing procedures including, but not limited to, chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, controlled substances, etc.
• Utilize pharmacy automation and supportive technology proficiently
• Oversee pharmacy operations and technician practice/activities when assigned
• Promote the use of the formulary by converting non-formulary medications to formulary alternatives when possible, evaluate appropriateness of non-formulary medication requests, and support procurement of non-formulary drugs when necessary

Facilitate experiential education and preceptorship:

• Maintain proficiency in the four preceptor roles and actively emulate education/mentorship
• Serve as a preceptor/educator for MGH pharmacy residency (PGY1 and PGY2) and student experiential programs, including maintaining training and experience in pharmacy practice areas appropriate for teaching assignments
• Develop student, resident, and staff training experiences/competencies and create new relationships for teaching and training opportunities
• Identify, design, and mentor learners in implementing improvements in the medication-use system to advance patient safety, maximize therapeutic outcomes, or control costs
• Demonstrate personal leadership qualities, role model, and business acumen to advance the profession and practice of pharmacy

Performs other duties as assigned:

• Maintain a sustained record of contribution to the total body of knowledge in pharmacy practice through presentations, publications, and professional affiliation activities
• Participate as a formal reviewer for a peer-reviewed medical or pharmacy journals
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of contemporary hospital practice and clinical service, trends and innovations in pharmacy leadership, and updates in traditional therapeutics, professional practice standards, or health care regulatory requirements
• Maintain a specialized evidence-based knowledge of drug and drug therapy by reviewing relevant professional journals and suggested readings

Additional General Skills/Abilities:

• Knowledge of contemporary hospital/clinical practice and service
• Knowledge and understanding of general hospital operations and regulatory compliance
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to interact constructively with supervisors, peers, and support personnel
• Ability to integrate clinical and distributive pharmacy services with quality improvement, teaching, research, and professional development activities
• Significant general clinical knowledge and expertise in traditional therapeutics and patient-centered care
• Significant knowledge and expertise in advanced pharmacy practice, specialty medication therapy management, and specialty evidence-based medicine in area appropriate for clinical assignments
• Strong teaching and precepting skills and ex