Inpatient Pharmacy Manager
Position Summary
The Inpatient Pharmacy Operations Manager provides comprehensive leadership for both the operational and clinical functions of inpatient pharmacy services in a small rural hospital with advanced clinical care. This role is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient medication distribution and high-quality, evidence-based medication therapy. The position directly manages pharmacy technicians and pharmacists, supports advanced clinical services, and serves as a pharmacy lead for Epic Willow inpatient workflows. This role requires a hands-on leader who can balance operational demands with clinical excellence while supporting education and professional development in a resource-limited environment.
Key Responsibilities
Pharmacy Operations & Distribution: Oversee daily inpatient pharmacy operations, including medication distribution, sterile compounding, automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs), controlled substances, and inventory management
Ensure compliance with USP /, Joint Commission standards, and all applicable state and federal regulations
Lead optimization of medication distribution systems, including ADC configuration, cart fill workflows, and Epic–ADC integration
Oversee drug purchasing, shortage mitigation, medication waste reduction, and budget stewardship
Develop, maintain, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) aligned with regulatory, safety, and operational best practices
Lead operational quality improvement initiatives and track performance and safety metrics
Provide direct operational support during staffing shortages, off-hours, or high-volume periods
Clinical Pharmacy Services: Support inpatient clinical pharmacy services across all service lines to ensure safe, effective, and evidence-based medication use
Lead medication safety initiatives, including adverse drug event review, root cause analysis, and process improvement
Support formulary management, medication utilization evaluations, and Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committee activities
Provide hands-on clinical pharmacist support during high-acuity periods or staffing shortages
Epic Willow Leadership: Serve as a pharmacy lead for Epic Willow Inpatient, including both operational and clinical workflows
Oversee medication records, order routing, dispense workflows, inventory functionality, and reporting
Lead clinical decision support (CDS), order sets, pharmacist documentation tools, and intervention tracking
Collaborate with IT and clinical stakeholders on Epic upgrades, optimization, and issue resolution
Ensure Epic workflows align with regulatory requirements, patient safety goals, and rural staffing realities
Staff Leadership, Education & Development: Directly supervise pharmacy technicians and pharmacists, including hiring, onboarding, scheduling, training, competency validation, and performance management
Lead initial and ongoing education for pharmacy staff related to operational workflows, clinical protocols, medication safety, and Epic functionality
Promote technician skill advancement and cross-training to support both operational and clinical needs
Support pharmacist professional development, clinical skill advancement, and practice at the top of license
Support medication-related education to nursing staff, providers, and interdisciplinary teams as needed
Support precepting of pharmacy students, residents, or learners when applicable
Collaboration & Communication: Collaborate with nursing, medical staff, quality, supply chain, IT, and hospital leadership to resolve medication-related issues
Serve as the primary point of contact for inpatient medication-use processes
Represent pharmacy leadership on hospital committees and interdisciplinary initiatives
Basic Qualifications
PharmD required
Active pharmacist license in CO
Hospital pharmacy experience required; rural hospital experience strongly preferred
Demonstrated leadership in both pharmacy operations and clinical pharmacy services
Experience managing pharmacy technicians and pharmacists
Epic Willow Inpatient experience strongly preferred
Strong regulatory knowledge, clinical judgment, communication, and teaching skills
BLS from AHA
ACLS from AHA