Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Medical Center (8a - 5p)

We are searching for a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist to join our team at Texas Children’s Hospital.

In this position, you will manage and promote clinical pharmacy activities appropriate to ensure the safety and efficacy of the medication use process, serve as a mentor to pharmacists who provide services to the medical specialty, and assist in direct patient care activities to promote optimal drug therapy and resolve medication use problems. This position will have rounding, project management, education, and research responsibilities.

The position will have the potential to round on and/or oversee clinical pharmacy services for acute care pediatric patients on the pediatric hospital medicine, pulmonology, gastroenterology, endocrine, and/or surgery services.

Think you’ve got what it takes?

Responsibilities:

• General Pediatrics Clinical Pharmacy Specialist: Utilizes practice knowledge and skills to serve as Clinical Practitioner. Attend daily multidisciplinary team rounds to assist the medical teams with designing, implementing, and monitoring medication regimens. Performs outcome-directed therapeutic drug monitoring for patients according to guidelines. Monitors therapy for drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory interactions. Discusses interactions with appropriate health care professionals to help ensure patient safety. Measures compliance. Performs outcome-directed pharmacokinetics monitoring for patients according to guidelines and discusses recommendations with appropriate medical professionals to help provide the best care for the patient. Serve as content resource for the consulting medical teams and families of patients. Potential for outpatient clinical pharmacy specialist involvement depending on clinical interests. Contribute to execution of research studies, quality improvement projects, and medication use evaluations.
• Ensures the medication use process. Creates and maintains appropriate and useful policies and procedures affecting areas of responsibility. Makes recommendations as to how services, methods, and procedures can be improved. Establishes action plans to implement appropriate changes. Promotes the use of the formulary and follows procedures to obtain non-formulary medications. Identifies opportunities for improvement for area of practice; seeks to accomplish these improvements. Identifies and suggests agents to be added, deleted, or modified to/within the formulary and database. Investigates, follows-up, and takes appropriate action for medication incidents and adverse drug reactions.
• Participates in the education of parents/patients, care givers, pharmacists, and pharmacy residents and students. Participates in the education and training of pharmacy employees, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and nonpharmacy personnel. Develops an educational program and a plan and incorporates into pharmacist’s routine increasing their clinical knowledge. Provides correct and timely drug information to medical, nursing, and pharmacy staff as needed. Perpetuates self-development through publications and/or presentations at a professional society level each year. Demonstrates current professional, managerial, and technical knowledge and skills. Coordinates performance improvement or quality improvement activities to contribute to improved patient outcomes. Develops educational programs, both practice-area specific and general education for pharmacists to ensure good patient care. Serves as a preceptor to pharmacists, pharmacy residents and students. Actively participates in the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines group to ensure appropriate provision of medical therapy in TCH guidelines. Attends one pharmacy or service based professional meeting each year. Provide medication education to patients/parents/caregivers as requested by the medical team
• Communicates with others. Collaborates effectively with other members of health care disciplines to provide comprehensive care to patients. Communicates positively and appropriately to work effectively as a team. Utilizes appropriate skills to help develop a care plan. Checks all available means of communication including e-mail, mailbox, and voice mail if applicable every day/shift. Responds to pages and messages within departmental standards. Communicates and treats all coworkers with respect and courtesy, avoiding loud and disruptive conversation, and/or actions and remarks indicating disrespect. Keeps immediate supervisor informed of issues. Acts as a liaison between the pharmacy, nurses, and physicians.
• Performs other essential functions. Maintain patient confidentiality as documented by lack of complaints and peer review. Demonstrates initiative when opportunities are presented as evidenced by successful completion of projects. Participates in the recruitment and successful hiring and training of pharmacists, completing the appropriate tasks to help hire and train employees as needed. Participates in the clinical on-call program.
•  

Qualifications:

• Being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including any booster dose(s) of the COVID-19 vaccine recommended by the Centers for Disease Control when eligible, is required for all employees at Texas Children’s unless approved for a medical or religious exemption
• Required Bachelor's Degree Science in Pharmacy or Pharm. D. Doctor of Pharmacy
• Required RPH - Pharmacist by the State of Texas
• Required PGY1 ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency AND a PGY2 Pharmacy Practice Residency in an Advanced Area of Pharmacy Practice, or
• Required 5 years PGY1 ASHP-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency with four (4) years’ experience in a pediatric inpatient hospital pharmacy setting with clinical responsibilities

About Texas Children’s