Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Adult Outpatient Specialty Clinics Pharmacist

This ambulatory pharmacist will work with other pharmacists in various adult specialty clinics such as Neurology, Transplant, Hepatology, and Virology to provide pharmacy services to patients.

Common patient populations this pharmacist would help with include Multiple Sclerosis, Migraine, Movement Disorders, Epilepsy, Solid Organ Transplant, Hepatitis C, and HIV. The pharmacist works collaboratively with the multidisciplinary healthcare team to provide care for patients in these clinics.

They will answer clinical questions about medications, provide education on new therapies and medication devices, coordinate dispensing, as well as medication monitoring and management for patients receiving specialty medications through UI Health Care Specialty Pharmacy Services.

The pharmacist also serves as a role-model/practitioner-educator for Doctor of Pharmacy students and pharmacy residents and carries out clinical practice responsibilities for the Department of Pharmaceutical Care.

This position is eligible for hybrid work within Iowa upon completion of orientation and will require a work arrangement form to be completed upon the start of your employment. Per policy, work arrangements will be reviewed annually, and must comply with the remote work program and related policies and employee travel policy when working at a remote location.

Position Responsibilities

Patient Care - Participate in the provision of pharmaceutical care in select clinics

Be present in clinics when patients are scheduled to see the clinical pharmacist and when clinical pharmacy services are required

Complete a comprehensive patient assessment including medication history, pertinent physical assessment, and assessment of relevant laboratory values, patient interview, and an evaluation of past medical history for appropriate patients

Work with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care providers as a member of the multi-disciplinary team

Provide disease state management and medication therapy management services through the use of collaborative practice agreements and protocols

Provide In-depth Patient Medication Assessment and Education

• Provide follow-up of therapeutic recommendations through telephone calls and return clinic appointments as appropriate
• Identify, evaluate, and prevent adverse drug events through appropriate interventions
• Communicate therapeutic recommendations to the health care provider
• Document relevant clinical information in electronic medical record
• Coordinate medication-planning activities including facilitation of prescription writing, patient education, coordination with family members or home health care providers, etc.
• Collaboratively address financial issues to ensure receipt of needed medications
• Provide drug information and education to health care professionals
• Serve as liaison for ambulatory pharmacy staff regarding patient medication therapy
• Evaluate patient-specific medication regimens to ensure the appropriateness of the following:
• Indication
• Correct dose
• Route of administration
• Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-lab, or drug-disease state interactions
• Efficacy of therapy
• Adherence to therapy
• Dose adjustments for organ dysfunction
• Adverse drug reactions
• Potential drug misuse or abuse
• Use of the most cost-effective therapy
• Availability of medications on the UI Health Care Formulary (if applicable)
• Provide staffing support in Specialty Pharmacy Services when needed
• Complete patient follow-up calls to address side-effects/adherence

Residency Training and Student Teaching Programs

• Develop goals and objectives for pharmacy residency programs and Doctor of Pharmacy advanced pharmacy practice and introductory pharmacy practice experiences
• Prepare and administer pharmacy student and / or resident rotation evaluations
• Participate in the formal experiential training and didactic teaching required to conduct the pharmacy residency programs and Doctor of Pharmacy advanced pharmacy practice and introductory pharmacy practice experiences
• Participate in recruiting activities for pharmacy residency programs
• Provide daily communication and follow-up to other clinical pharmacists, pharmacy areas, and other health care professionals as needed
• Provide in-service education to pharmacists as needed
• Provide in-service education to members of the health care team as needed
• Assist physicians, nurses, health care team members, and patients with medication questions, medication access and continuity of care issues
• Documentation of patient care activities in accreditation compliant manners:
• Clinical services and patient care activities in the electronic medical record
• Patient assessment and therapeutic plan recommendations
• Medication errors into standard reporting system
• Adverse drug reactions into standard reporting system
• Patient allergies and height/weight information as needed
• Medication counseling provided to patients
• Interventions with prescribers and other health care providers
• Clinic and follow-up telephone encounters

Others as Required

Develop and provide new department clinical service initiatives, which may require any or all of the following:

Participate in the rotation with other specialists to support 24-hour, 7-day/week on-call coverage to ambulatory care patients for drug therapy issue problem solving. This occurs approximately 1-2 weeks per year and historically has low usage.

Develop or contribute to the development of protocols related to appropriate prescribing, dispensing and monitoring of specialty medications

Provide a leadership role in department or interdisciplinary hospital committees involved with drug therapy issues

Develop or contribute to the development of drug information resources such as pocket cards and practice guidelines that are distributed hospital wide to foster cost effective, rational prescribing

Design, implement, and coordinate development of the clinical components of the pharmacy or hospital wide information systems

Administration

• Coordinate therapeutic decision-making when there is a paucity of literature or experience for reference
• Serve as the primary reference source on new drug therapy advances in the specialized area of practice
• Identify and resolve significant/highly unusual patient drug therapy problems

Complete Clinically Oriented Departmental Goals

Develop and coordinate policies, procedures, and clinical reference documents relevant to the clinical applications of new therapies

Manage and analyze events related to medication errors – including participation in informal multi-disciplinary sentinel event review teams

Interview and evaluate prospective professional pharmacy practitioners

Adhere to All Department Policies and Procedures

Contribute to the department budgetary process by reviewing, designing, implementing, and monitoring budget initiatives that address hospital wide or unit specific issues

Participate with the implementation and monitoring of new programs developed either by the Department or through another means (e. g., P&T Committee)

• Quality Improvement
• Provide a leadership role in university committees involved with drug therapy
• Develop and conduct measurement activities that demonstrate Specialty Pharmacy Service value, including adherence and outcome measures
• Perform quality assurance monitoring of services provided by the UI Health Care Specialty Pharmacy Services
• Develop educational programs to certify the clinical competence of pharmacists and improve the technician understanding of medical conditions being treated

Other

• Conduct research in area of expertise and present/publish results at professional meetings or in professional journals
• Consistently demonstrate the WECARE values and Service Excellence culture of UI Health Care
• Complete and maintain compliance with all competencies and educational requirements

Education Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy Degree
• Eligibility for or current license by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners is required prior to start

Experience Requirements

Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy practice residency OR 2 years’ experience in a complex multi-disciplinary healthcare environment

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required
• Job-related experience with and/or commitment to service excellence is required

Professional job-related experience fostering or promoting a welcoming and respectful work/academic environment where people of all backgrounds and perspectives feel welcomed and appreciated; or demonstrated the ability to do so.

Desired Qualifications

• Satisfactory completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 residency in Ambulatory Care is highly desirable.
• Employment in an outpatient clinic environment is highly desirable.
• Active board certification in applicable Pharmacy Specialty is highly desirable
• Active board certification in a Pharmacy Specialty is desirable.
• Able to work independently, prioritize multiple stakeholders and tasks, manage details and deliver results in an environment with competing demands
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work with others

Position and Application Details

In order to be considered for an interview, applicants must upload the following documents and mark them as a “Relevant File” to the submission:

Resume

Cover Letter

Job openings are posted for a minimum of 7 calendar days and may be removed from posting and filled any time after the original posting period has ended.

Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification. Up to 5 professional references will be requested at a later step in the recruitment process.

For additional questions, please contact Eric Hardesty at eric-hardesty@uiowa.edu