Clinical Pharmacist, Cardiology

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 Cardiology Pharmacy Residency, Cardiology Fellowship or experience as a cardiology 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 expertise in experiential training