Clinical Pharmacist

Summary

This Clinical Pharmacist position serves the Central Arkansas Veteran Healthcare System, Pharmacy Service, located at Eugene J. Towbin VA Health Care Center in the Outpatient Pharmacy and has the primary purpose of providing a full range of accepted ethical and professional practices of pharmacy.

Duties

• Reviews patient prescription and medical records to identify, monitor drug related problems and acts to resolve prescription/drug-related problems and potential problems including adverse drug reactions, drug interactions (drug, lab, food), inappropriate dosage polypharmacy, patient compliance, and to facilitate timeliness of discharge prescriptions, outpatient prescriptions and inpatient medication orders.
• Verifies accuracy of transcription and/or transcribes information into computer system or medication administration record as appropriate.
• Provides consultation to physicians, nurses and other health professionals on pharmacotherapy including basic and patient specific drug therapy and pharmacokinetics.
• Interacts directly with patients by evaluating patient's ability to understand medication instruction, providing oral and written counseling as appropriate on their drug therapy, and documenting these activities. Assures the patient medication list is complete and accurate through consultation with the patient and/or the patient's caregiver. Assures that the medical record contains an accurate and complete medication list and that this list is provided to the patient upon discharge from the facility.
• Recognizes, from a verbal or written patient presentation of symptoms, signs, laboratory tests and diagnoses, important medical problems, disease states, symptoms or abnormal laboratory values which may be induced by drug therapy and which may necessitate having drug therapy altered.
• Provides clinical pharmacy services under appropriate supervision and developed protocols.
• Performs advanced clinical services requiring in-depth knowledge and advanced monitoring skills and assessing patient outcomes and serves as a resource to other pharmacists and health professionals in this area. Documents appropriately in the patient record.
• Interviews patients to obtain and record in the medical records pertinent information required for dosing determination and medication histories.
• Documents in the medical records patient education and information regarding side effects of pharmacologic therapy or treatment rationale.
• Participates actively in the interdisciplinary team meetings and assist in the development and implementation of patient care plans when assigned.
• Participates in pertinent clinical pharmacy programs designed to maximize pharmacotherapeutic benefits from patient outcomes and cost perspectives.

Education

• Serves as a clinical role model for other pharmacists, residents and students, accomplished through exposure of these individuals to advanced clinical practice.
• Participates in Resident and Staff Journal Club by presenting and evaluating the current medical and pharmacy literature.
• Conducts ongoing educational programs within Pharmacy Service (includes, but is not limited to, Grand Rounds and in-services).
• Assists with the preparation of drug reviews, drug information bulletins and newsletters.
• Assists in the orientation and training for all new pharmacy staff members, students, and trainees when requested.

Quality Assurance

• Collaborates with Clinical Pharmacists to perform medication use evaluation in conjunction with the Medication Use Evaluation Subcommittee and quality assurance programs for the medical center.
• Participates on hospital and Pharmacy Service committees as assigned.
• Assists with the Quality Assurance (QA) program within Pharmacy Service as it relates to Clinical Practice.
• Participates in self-development activities to improve professional and administrative proficiency and potential.
• Performs evaluations and maintains quality assurance monitoring records (ie. maintenance of automated dispensing units, tracking dispensing errors, 72 hour narcotic inventories, etc).