Department: Inpatient Pharmacy

Location: Trinity Health Ann Arbor

Status available: 7 nights on/7 nights off, with majority of shifts in the Emergency Department. 

Clinical Pharmacist – Midnights – Emergency Medicine

About the Department

The inpatient pharmacy at Trinity Health Ann Arbor is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, servicing inpatients, the emergency department, operating rooms and multiple procedural areas.

Clean room operations are accredited by Joint Commission for adherence to the highest standards of USP 797 and 800.  Trinity Health Ann Arbor is also the lead location for the national Trinity Health Pharmacy Education and Advancement of Technicians (THE-PEAT) training program to educate pharmacy students to become PTCB, licensed Pharmacy Technicians.

Position Purpose

A Clinical Pharmacist provides medication preparation, distribution services and is prospectively involved with provision of pharmaceutical care and the promotion of high-quality, cost-effective, patient-focused care for populations across the age continuum (from neonatal to geriatric patients depending on hospital populations served) in conjunction with other members of the healthcare team according to professional standards and statutory requirements.  The clinical pharmacist demonstrates pharmacotherapy expertise, participates in interdisciplinary education programs, and participates in problem recognition and resolution related to medication usage, actively participates in CQI initiative development and completion and provides clinical education to pharmacy department staff, students and pharmacy residents. 

Education:

• Requires Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (i.e., Pharm.D) or clinical oriented Master's Degree in hospital pharmacy from an accredited College of Pharmacy or equivalent is required.

Experience:

• Experience: Minimum of two years related experience, which may include a clinically oriented hospital pharmacy residency (i.e., PGY1).

• PGY2 in Emergency Medicine or Critical Care preferred

Licensure / Certification:

·         Registered pharmacist possessing or eligible for a Michigan Pharmacist and Controlled Substance license is required. Maintenance of minimum hours of State Board of Pharmacy continuing education credits every two years as required by the State of Michigan.

·         Per specific hospital policy, Current Basic Life Support (BLS) and / or Advanced Life Support (ACLS) certification as required.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Interpersonal skills necessary to effectively communicate drug therapy information to all health team members, patients, and administrators / managers.  Interpersonal skills necessary to interact with patients, physicians, and other healthcare providers.

• Broad knowledge of medications compounding and dispensing. Thorough knowledge of pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics and therapeutics.

• Analytic skills necessary to organize and prioritize multiple job duties.

• General understanding of computers, including general operations and data retrieval.

• Commitment to adhere to activities that promote the vision and mission of Trinity Health and the Department of Pharmacy and the principles of continuous quality improvement within the organization.

• Excellent customer service orientation skills necessary in order to deal effectively with various levels of hospital personnel, outside customers and community groups.

• Communication skills necessary for clear written and oral communication.

• Thorough knowledge of the regulatory, statutory, and professional aspects of pharmacy practice.

• Demonstrated working knowledge of pharmacokinetics.

• Demonstrated teaching ability.

What you will do:

1.  Interprets and evaluates medication orders to ensure appropriateness of therapy; including, but not limited to dosage form, dose, and route of administration, schedule, starting time and duration.

 2.  Monitors patient medication regimens for possible allergies, drug-drug interactions, nutrient-drug interactions, contraindications, therapeutic duplication and potential adverse drug reactions.

 3.  Individualizes medication therapy based on patient variables including, but not limited to, renal function, age, weight, laboratory values and pharmacokinetic parameters.

 4.  Manages drug therapy and utilization across the continuum of care through communication with physicians, nurses, other healthcare providers and patients to intervene on orders that are unclear, incomplete, inappropriate, or could cause poor drug outcomes and recommends alternative therapy. 

 5. Participates in pharmaceutical care activities such as patient rounds, therapeutic drug monitoring, patient teaching and counseling, admission drug histories, antimicrobial stewardship, pain management and drug information education to healthcare professionals in response to questions or requests for in-service education.

6. Participates in bedside care including trauma activations, stroke alerts, STEMI activations, rapid responses, and code blue events. Provide bedside pharmacotherapy support during airway management, rapid sequence intubation, and post-intubation care.  Supports  emergency department sepsis management and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.

 7. Documents clinical interventions, participates in quality assurance monitors, drug utilization reviews, pharmacoeconomic analysis, and monitors medication therapy outcomes as assigned.

 8. Consults with and advises physicians and other health care professionals in the development of safe, rational and cost-effective patient medication care plans.

 9. Recommends patient specific drug therapy, evaluates therapy regimens and makes recommendations to medical staff to optimize effective drug therapy

10. Educates physicians, employees and other allied disciplines about the goals and rationale of the institution's quality of care and cost containment programs related to medication usage and to pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical care.