Home Infusion Pharmacist - Relief

Department Overview

The purpose of this position is to provide the services of a licensed pharmacist which includes the

responsibility for the safe and proper distribution and use of medications in outpatient settings who range in age from infants, children, adolescents, adults and elderly. This is a Releif-STAFF position. The purpose of Flex Staff positions is (1) to provide relief for absences fo regular and Probationary Period employees, (2) to provide staff for short-term project, and (3) to supplement existing staffing levels.

This position is to function at higher decision making and accountability levels regarding medication therapy, proactively affecting medication use by making recommendations and making independent decisions about home infusion medication therapy in cooperation with other healthcare team members. Additional services provided to home infusion patients include facilitatation of medication delivery of medications through coordination of care with all health care team members. The pharmacist must possess strong communication skills for patient education and work collaboratively with inpatient and outpatient interdisciplinary teams including but not limited to providers, nurses, case workers, pharmacists, and technicians, as well as, the teaching and precepting component of students, interns and/or residents.

Relief employees must be available to work at least four (4) days per pay period as determined according to the department needs

Function/Duties of Position

• Identifies, resolves and documents complex therapeutic problems, demonstrating advanced knowledge and application of this knowledge to a home infusion patient population. 

• Responds accurately to requests for drug information from physicians, nurses, patients and patient's families; independently reviews and interprets the literature and applies this information to specific patient care situations.

• Monitors therapeutic response and adverse effects of medications to guide home infusion drug therapy. Consults with provider when questions or problems are identified. Appropriately reports all adverse drug reactions, drug defects, and medication errors. 

• Directs the work of students/residents and monitors and evaluates their performance. 

• Influences standards of therapy by forming peer level relationships with patient's physicians and all other care teams. 

• Assists in the development of treatment guidelines to be used in patients with specific diagnosis. Documents activities in the patient medical record, pharmacy monitoring profile, drug use evaluation data collection or adverse drug reaction reporting program. 

• Interprets and evaluates physician's orders and prescriptions for accuracy, completeness and appropriateness. Verify the accuracy and appropriateness of medications prepared and dispensed from the home infusion pharmacy. Supervise the activities and assume responsibility for all duties being performed by pharmacy technicians in your work areas. 

• Participates in both intra and interdepartmental education programs; participates in the development of peers.

Required Qualifications

• A current Pharmacist’s license issued by the Oregon State Board of Pharmacy.

• OHSU may require training or experience in a specialized area at time of recruitment.

Job Related Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (Competencies):

• Demonstrates the ability to: Enforce pharmaceutical care principles safely and accurately
• Make age-related modification of drug therapy
• Make disease-related modification of drug therapy 
• Evaluate medical literature
• Work independently without minimal direct supervision
• Handle multiple tasks and frequent interruptions
• Communicate effectively both formally and informally, including presentations
• Project manages 
• Work with a team professionally and collaboratively
• Set priorities to respond quickly to emergent situations/requests
• Work cooperatively with health-system and pharmacy staff
• Communicate effectively and professionally (orally and in writing)
• Perform work accurately with attention to detail
• Exercise sound professional judgement
• Perform systematic problem solving
• Enforce practice guidelines, standards, and medication related policies 
• Make critical decisions Perform key computer related skills including use of the EMR, common word processing, spreadsheet, medical literature and medication databases.
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation

Preferred Qualifications

• BS in Pharmacy or Pharm.D. PLUS Practice Residency or 2 years of working at an infusion pharmacy location.
• PGY-2 Specialty Residency BLS/ACLS/PALS certification Vaccination certification.
• Ambulatory or outpatient infusion pharmacy practice
• Specialist Certifications (BCPS, BCOPS, etc.)

Additional Details

The pharmacist will experience competing demands from nurses, physicians, pharmacy staff and other

healthcare professionals, as they attempt to influence clinical decision-making, clinical policies and

practices and work flow. The pharmacist must deal with intense situations on a daily basis. In addition,

within the healthcare setting there can be significant lack of control over the work pace, with frequent

interruptions (work is often dictated by external factors) that may lead to mental fatigue or stress. The

pharmacist must also be available to be on call weekdays and weekends.

Why apply to OHSU?

We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact [email protected]