Clinical Pharmacist, Drug Studies

Detailed Overview The Pharmacist, Clinical Drug Studies coordinates the implementation of clinical drug trials; oversees the maintenance of ongoing clinical drug trials ensuring standards are being met; responds to queries, resolves problems with clinical drug trials and makes recommendations for changes to the Coordinator, Clinical Pharmacy Services. Provides clinical pharmacy services including individualization of patient medication therapy; patient medication counselling; consultation with physicians, nurses and other health care providers to develop and discuss therapeutic plans and assistance in the development of drug therapy guidelines for individual disease conditions. Provides support to the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee by preparing written summaries and recommendations on drug usage; contributes items such as case studies and articles for submission to professional journals; acts as department resource person in the assigned area of responsibility and provides instruction and/or supervision to pharmacy students and residents. Additionally, the Pharmacist, Clinical Drug Studies performs drug distribution duties including processing prescriptions by reviewing prescribed medication therapy; validating prescriptions; identifying safety concerns; contacting the subscriber and/or the health care team to resolve discrepancies or problems; documenting discussions or modifications to the medication therapy, and dispensing medications. Responsibilities Coordinates the implementation of clinical drug trials by methods such as evaluating protocols, developing policies and procedures, educating pharmacy, nursing and medical staff, and liaising with the investigator to ensure quality and effective care. Oversees the maintenance of ongoing clinical drug trials and ensures standards are being met. Maintains appropriate records of clinical drug studies and invoices stakeholders for services. Provides problem resolution for clinical drug trials by performing duties such as responding to queries and/or problems, communicating with pharmacy, medical and nursing staff, identifying and making recommendations for changes to procedures to the Coordinator, Clinical Pharmacy Services. Responsible for the implementation and review of departmental policies and procedures related to clinical drug trials by performing duties such as reviewing existing policies and procedures, developing new procedures, communicating approved changes to staff, and checking the quality of work to ensure the compliance with hospital and department standards, policies and procedures pertaining to clinical drug research. Consults with physicians, nurses and other health care providers to develop and discuss therapeutic plans appropriate for each patient based on chart review and assessment of clinical responses. Ensures appropriate documentation is maintained in the patient health record in accordance with regulations, protocols and practice standards. Individualizes patient medication therapy by performing activities such as referencing standard literature/publications and patient demographic information, reviewing patient charts and laboratory test results, meeting with the patient and health care team to assess clinical response of the patient to medication therapy and modifying or developing therapeutic plans to ensure that medication therapy is consistent with the patient''s needs. Provides patient medication counselling regarding drug therapy by reviewing reference literature, summarizing information and meeting with patients and their families to provide and explain information and plans, demonstrating procedures, techniques and use of equipment, and assessing patient's/family's understanding of the procedures, techniques and equipment. Assists the health care team in developing drug therapy guidelines for individual disease conditions by reviewing current literature, compiling and analyzing information relating to current therapy guidelines, providing suggestions and recommendations, and monitoring the effectiveness of current guidelines on patient health care outcomes. Participates in ward rounds, program team meetings and provision of pharmacy services at the unit level to enhance patient care. Acts as department resource person in the assigned area of responsibility. Supports both department and hospital staff by providing detailed drug information on issues related to drug therapy in those disease states which are treated within the program. Contributes items such as case studies and review articles to professional journals by performing activities such as identifying topics, gathering and analyzing data, reviewing current literature, writing and submitting articles for publication. Provides instruction and/or supervision to pharmacy students and residents by preparing educational material, demonstrating procedures, lecturing, supervising during patient care activities and providing input into performance evaluations. Participates in quality improvement activities through methods such as reviewing current practices, performing quality assurance audits, identifying actual or potential problems and recommending changes. Performs drug distribution duties including interpreting medication orders/prescriptions and dispensing medications using a computerized medication information system in accordance with legal, professional and departmental policies, procedures and standards. Reviews prescriptions for therapeutic suitability by referring to standardized references, interpreting laboratory data, and/or reviewing patient specific demographics. Communicates with physicians, patients and/or other health care team members for prescription clarification and problem resolution. Documents the outcome of any interaction with the prescriber in the patient's health care record. Ensures that medications are efficiently and accurately dispensed and/or compounded and labelled and that all necessary dispensing records are completed. Participates in the collection of data for medication use evaluation projects and documents the required information. Assists in maintaining adequate inventories, notes shortages, requisitions drugs and/or supplies and monitors expiry dates, reports procedural errors and participates in quality improvement activities. Participates in implementation of medication safety initiatives and quality control activities in accordance with established standards and procedures. Participates in staff meetings, committees and other programs as required; identifies opportunities to improve processes and/or procedures to enable safe and efficient operations and refers to supervisor and/or others. Maintains records for narcotic and controlled drugs, special access program drugs and departmental statistics in accordance with legal, professional and departmental standards, polices and procedures. Prepares reports on a variety of activities within the discipline, gathers and records information into approved formats, accounts for variances, sets up and updates computerized files and spreadsheets using word processing and spreadsheet software. Performs other related duties as assigned. Qualifications Education and Experience Current registration as a Pharmacist with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia. Completion of an accredited Hospital Pharmacy Residency Program plus one year's recent experience in clinical drug studies within an acute hospital setting or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience. Skills and Abilities Broad knowledge of organization policies, procedures and standards of care. Knowledge of evidence-based clinical pharmacy practice. Knowledge of research processes and methodology. Knowledge of hospital and pharmacy information systems. Ability to apply clinical pharmacy knowledge and make decisions with a minimum of supervision. Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other health practitioners, as well as patients, family members and the public. Ability to plan, implement, organize, problem-solve and manage projects. Ability to teach and facilitate learning within a multidisciplinary setting. Ability to organize and prioritize work. Ability to operate related equipment. Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position. About Fraser Health Fraser Health is the heart of health care for over two million people in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Coast Salish and Nlaka’pamux Nations and is home to 32 First Nations within the Fraser Salish region. People - those we care for and those who care for them - are at the heart of everything we do. Our hospital and community-based services are delivered by a team of 48,+ staff, medical staff and volunteers. We are committed to planetary health and value diversity in the work force. We strive to maintain an environment of respect, caring and trust. Fraser Health’s hiring practices aspire to ensure all individuals are treated in an inclusive, equitable and culturally safe manner. Together, we are the heart of health care. 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