Clinical Pharmacist - Cardiothoracic Transplant MGH

The following are essential job functions for Clinical Pharmacists:

Percent of Time Spent

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