Clinical Pharmacist – Critical Care (PICU, NICU, CICU)

The Clinical Pharmacist provides comprehensive pharmaceutical care to critically ill pediatric and neonatal patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU).

Responsibilities include medication therapy management, participation in multidisciplinary rounds, pharmacokinetic monitoring, medication safety initiatives, clinical consultation, and patient/family education as appropriate.

The pharmacist collaborates with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to optimize medication outcomes and ensure evidence-based patient care.

Schedule

Day and evening shifts covering PICU, NICU, and CICU services, including every fourth weekend rotation.

Primary Responsibilities

Leads assigned patient service lines, clinical areas, and therapeutic programs.

Facilitates pharmaceutical care services, direct patient care programs, medication utilization systems within assigned services and care areas to assure drug utilization activities are aligned with patient care needs, evidence-based best practices, and regulatory standards.

Designs and implements stewardship activities and restriction/surveillance programs

Tracks and evaluates assigned pharmacy programs for operational, quality, and financial efficiency and routinely benchmarks against local and national best practices.

Actively identifies practice related issues which require evaluation and facilitate clinical research projects, quality improvement initiatives, or healthcare provider education as needed to advance practice.

Develops and oversees policies and procedures for drug purchasing, drug usage, drug distribution, and drug control.

Assures pharmacy is an integral part of the health-care delivery system and facilitates enhancement and expansion of pharmacy services/programs.

• Delivers direct patient care and clinical practice, including decentralized and service-based programs.
• Maintains proficiency in decentralized pharmacy services and clinical pharmacy programs.
• Works as an active member of multidisciplinary team and collaborates with healthcare providers within decentralized patient care areas to provide patient-centered care o Identifies high-risk patients and implements interventions to improve quality and safety.
• Makes appropriate evidence-based, patient-centered medication recommendations.
• Participates in the management of medical emergencies.
• Provides discharge medication review, reconciliation, and counseling as appropriate.
• Provides pharmaceutical services throughout medical center.
• Maintains proficiency in hospital computer systems and medication ordering systems.
• Provides accurate, safe, timely, and appropriate medication therapy based on patient age and needs.

Completes critical patient monitoring and reviews patient profile/chart to identify, prevent, or mitigate drug-related problems, improper drug or dose selection, sub therapeutic dosage, over dosage, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, failure to receive drugs, untreated indications, medication use without an indication, and treatment failures.

Communicates effectively and appropriately with healthcare providers and caregivers (physicians, nurses, etc.) and assures continuity of pharmaceutical care between shifts and among staff.

• Actively participates in stewardship activities and restricted medication programs.
• Participates in pharmacy operations and medication dispensing.

Maintains proficiency in and actively engages in operational programs, central dispensing pharmacies, satellite dispensing pharmacies, and specialty pharmacy areas as appropriate for job assignment.

Facilitates specialty medication procurement, ordering, and dispensing procedures including but not limited to chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, controlled substances, etc. as appropriate for assignment.

• Oversees pharmacy operations and technician practice/activities.
• Facilitates experiential education and practice advancement.
• Maintains proficiency in preceptor roles and actively emulates education/mentorship skills.

Develops student, resident, and staff training experiences/competencies and creates new relationships for teaching and training opportunities.

Identifies, designs, and implements improvements in the medication-use system to advance patient safety, maximize therapeutic outcomes, or control costs.

• PharmD degree required
• Current pharmacist licensure (or eligibility) in the applicable state
• PGY1 residency required; PGY2 Pediatric or Critical Care residency preferred
• Experience in pediatric and/or critical care practice preferred
• Strong clinical, communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills

This role supports the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care in a fast-paced critical care environment.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances

Pharmacist

Clearances with Renewal

31, 33, 34, & 73

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran