Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Infectious Diseases (Full-time, Days)

Hours: Mon - Fri 8 am - 4:30 pm

Sign on Bonus of up to $10K!!!

This Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Infectious Diseases serves as the subject matter expert for antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases pharmacotherapy for Lancaster General Health. This clinical pharmacy specialist collaborates closely with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing, microbiology, infection prevention, and pharmacy teams to optimize antimicrobial use, improve patient outcomes, reduce resistance, and promote medication safety. The specialist provides direct patient care through prospective clinical review and consultation, develops evidence-based treatment guidelines and order sets, supports formulary management, and leads quality improvement initiatives related to infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship.

Key responsibilities include antimicrobial stewardship activities, prospective clinical consultation, therapeutic drug monitoring, guideline and order set development, formulary management, quality improvement initiatives, and analysis of antimicrobial utilization and resistance trends. The specialist also provides education and mentorship to pharmacists, residents, students, and other healthcare professionals while supporting research and scholarly activities.

 The ideal candidate possesses advanced infectious diseases expertise, strong clinical judgment, excellent communication skills, and a passion for improving patient care through innovation and stewardship. PGY1 residency training is required; PGY2 Infectious Diseases residency (or equivalent advanced experience) and BCIDP certification or eligibility are strongly preferred.

This position offers the opportunity to lead and expand infectious diseases pharmacy services while making a meaningful impact on patient outcomes, antimicrobial optimization, quality, and safety across Lancaster General Health.

 Summary:

• Position Summary: Provide direct patient care activities by designing, recommending, monitoring and evaluating patient specific pharmacotherapy. Serves as the clinical pharmacy expert for a particular service line and is responsible for the training and education of pharmacists technicians as it relates to clinical activities, competency assessment, development and implementation of clinical programs, PandT activities, formulary management, etc.
• Qualified individuals must have the ability with or without reasonable accommodation to perform the following duties:
• Participates in rounds with assigned medical, surgical or critical care team. Provide verbal and written consultations concerning drug therapy evaluations as requested. Active participation in Care Management Teams.
• Document drug use patterns, detect and evaluate adverse drug effects, evaluate drug efficacy, therapeutic goals and indications, review for contraindications precautions, the patient’s current status of health, and review drug profiles and patient’s medical record for drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state s potentials.
• Provide individualized patient education evaluation regarding drug therapy as requested or identified need.
• Evaluate appropriate laboratory tests necessary to monitor and support the patient’s drug therapy program.
• Document assessment, observations, impressions, recommendations, plan, significant findings, interventions and services rendered as appropriate.
• Coordinate activities as required with the pharmacy staff to affect a smooth exchange of activities and ideas regarding new and ongoing programs.
• Provide accurate, unbiased, timely and cost-effective drug information to medical, pharmacy, nursing and other allied health professionals.
• Serve as a resource and mentor for the Pharmacists and Clinical Pharmacists.
• In addition to the above primary functions, all Clinical Pharmacy Specialists must be competent in performing the following primary functions of a Clinical Pharmacist and Pharmacist:
• CLINICAL PHARMACIST:
• Identifies drug therapy strategies that improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.
• Utilizes assessment skills in the management of medically complex elderly to monitor responses to drug therapy.
• Provides information to patients, either directly as a consultation or in preparation of patient teaching aides or computer-generated warning or supplemental information.
• Conducts drug utilization reviews to assure the quality of drug use. Determines if criteria for drug use is met in patient cases being reviewed.
• Educates health care professionals and patients in the safe and effective use of medication. This education may be informal e.g. patient care rounds , as a staff development education program, or as part of the hospital’s interdisciplinary education program.
• Support and assist interdepartmental projects as requested e.g. MUE, PandT monographs, newsletter articles, performance improvement activities, etc. .
• Provides drug information to prescribers and other health care professionals. Contributes articles to the hospital and or pharmacy newsletters. Assures that pertinent drug information is maintained in the pharmacy.
• Develops criteria and makes recommendations to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee on the appropriate use of medications and or inclusion in the hospital formulary.
• PHARMACIST:
• Interprets and evaluates all medication orders and assures for safe and effective medication, dose route and scheduled administration with clarification as deemed necessary.
• Reviews physician orders and suggests alternate therapies as appropriate. Demonstrates this activity by preparing clinical intervention documentation.
• Prepares and dispenses medications in accordance with professional practice guidelines, state pharmacy laws, and regulatory standards in addition to departmental policies and procedures.
• Advises the physician, nurse and patient regarding the contents, therapeutic action, utilization and possible adverse reactions or interactions of medication.
• Responds to drug information and poison information requests as required.
• Performs computer order entry functions and rotates to all work areas as assigned.
• Actively participates in medication safety programs. Active participation is defined as identifying opportunities to improve safety reporting errors and adverse drug events , and implementing system-based changes as a result of those opportunities.
• Monitors prescriptions to prevent adverse reactions, allergies and or drug interactions. Counsels physicians, patients and nurses accordingly. Participates in drug interaction notification.
• Serves as a role model of customer service by responding constructively to the needs of hospital staff. Responding constructively is defined as using a respectful communication style that is consistent with professional collaboration.
• The following duties are considered secondary to the primary duties listed above:
• Other duties as assigned.
• Provide educational pharmacy sessions i.e., in-services, clinical pearls or materials for patient groups and health care professionals.
• Evaluate and participate in Lancaster General drug research and other clinical trials, including designing and implementing primary research projects.
• Collaborate with other pharmacy service line leaders to address issues that cross service lines, such as surgical issues and or pain management issues to ensure continuity of care across the hospital.
• In addition to the above secondary functions all Clinical Pharmacy Specialists must be competent in performing the following secondary functions of a Clinical Pharmacist and Pharmacist:

• Develops practice standards and procedures for education, staff development and policy manuals.
• Assists pharmacy education and training; prepares pharmacists for clinical activities. Precept students, as assigned.
• Provides drug information education to staff physicians informally and formally and through drug literature searches.

• Controls the disposition of narcotics, other controlled substances, and dangerous drugs as required by state and federal regulations.
• Serves as a training resource for new employees and assists in evaluating their progress; may assist in preparing work schedules, setting work priorities and making work assignments as directed. Mentors pharmacy students in applicable educational experiential training programs.
• Inspect and verify all non-formulary drugs that a patient brings to the institution intended for use by physician order.
• Performs monthly nursing unit inspections, maintains workload records and collects quality assurance data.