At Houston Methodist, the Senior Staff Pharmacist position is responsible for an expanded clinical role that may include responsibility for proactive review of patient profiles, participation in basic clinical functions such as discharge counseling, medication histories, completion of pharmacy consults, and participation in special projects. This position provides day-to-day comprehensive, patient-oriented pharmacy services in any or all areas of the department to include processing orders, therapy review, and education to patients and other members of the direct patient care team. Other duties for the Senior Staff Pharmacist position include serving as a role model and preceptor for staff pharmacists, pharmacy students, and residents in the integration of clinical and distributive services in the Department. This position also contributes to fulfilling the department's mission by collaborating to provide innovative, personalized, cost-effective pharmaceutical care in a culture dedicated to quality and safety.

PATIENT AGE GROUP(S) AND POPULATION(S) SERVED
Refer to departmental "Scope of Service" and "Provision of Care" plans, as applicable, for description of primary age groups and populations served by this job for the respective HM entity.

HOUSTON METHODIST EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Provide personalized care and service by consistently demonstrating our I CARE values:
  • INTEGRITY: We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.
  • COMPASSION: We embrace the whole person including emotional, ethical, physical, and spiritual needs.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves accountable for all our actions.
  • RESPECT: We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity, and value.
  • EXCELLENCE: We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate.

• Practices the Caring and Serving Model

• Delivers personalized service using HM Service Standards

• Provides for exceptional patient/customer experiences by following our Standards of Practice of always using Positive Language (AIDET, Managing Up, Key Words)

• Intentionally collaborates with other healthcare professionals involved in patients/customers or employees' experiential journeys to ensure strong communication, ease of access to information, and a seamless experience.

• Involves patients (customers) in shift/handoff reports by enabling their participation in their plan of care as applicable to the given job

• Displays cultural humility, diversity, equity and inclusion principles

• Actively supports the organization's vision, fulfills the mission and abides by the I CARE values

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Promotes a positive work environment and contributes to a dynamic, team focused work unit that actively helps one another to achieve optimal department results. Collaborates with all members of the patient care team by actively communicating and reporting pertinent patient care information and data in a comprehensive manner. Role models to team members effective communication skills, assisting in their development of such skills.

• Guides and mentors pharmacy technicians, students, and new pharmacists to help build confidence in skills, knowledge and abilities. Serves as a coordinator for the shift overseeing and leading activities of technicians and other support staff.

• Develops educational materials and provides educational programs for the pharmacy staff and other hospital personnel.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serves as a unit-based pharmacist and exercises good judgment in patient care decisions by providing operational and clinical support which may include, but is not limited to order verification, processing orders/requests and automatic stop orders, providing pharmacy consults, medication histories, patient counseling, proactive drug therapy reviews and monitoring, collaborating with other health care staff for problem resolution for the achievement of patient specific goals.

• Monitors workload fluctuations and work output of pharmacy technician(s), adjusting assignments as appropriate to ensure accurate and timely delivery of medications to patient care areas.

• Conducts proactive drug therapy reviews and monitoring, providing drug information, patient counseling, and management of pharmacist based dosing protocols, collaborating with other health care staff for problem resolution for the achievement of patient-specific goals.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Collaborates with other health care professionals to manage patient's drug therapy for effectiveness, side effects, adverse drug reactions, toxicities, drug interactions, and incompatibilities following guidelines for formulary management and clinical intervention tools. Documents patient care activities and patient outcomes as impacted by pharmaceutical care and clinical interventions.

• Participates in department quality management activities, i.e. medication use evaluations, adverse drug reactions and medication error reporting, clinical interventions, medication center reviews, and inventory management documentation and reporting.

• Works with other departments and/or committees to improve medication safety and implement best practices in line with ISMP safety guidelines.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Manages inventory to minimize waste and expired drugs in the work area as well as uses one's resources effectively and efficiently.

• Identifies cost savings and/or revenue opportunities for the hospital and shares their ideas with the pharmacy staff and management team. Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize tasks for self, pharmacy technicians, and other support staff.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Participates in inter- and intra-departmental activities including in-services, article publication/presentation, preceptorship, and additional training. Seeks opportunities to expand learning beyond baseline competencies with a focus on continual development as a Staff Pharmacist.

• Participates in technology assessment, selection, development, planning and implementation of system changes. Identifies and helps to resolve operational and clinical service issues related to technology.

• Identifies new trends in medication therapy and hospital pharmacy management and assists pharmacy management to incorporate them into the workflow.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• Graduate of education program approved by the credentialing body for the required credential(s) indicated below in the Certifications, Licenses and Registrations section

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Must have one of the following:
•       ◊ Successful completion of an ASHP-accredited post-graduate year one (PGY1) residency training program
•       ◊ Three years of pharmacist experience applicable to the specific work setting (e.g., hospital, specialty pharmacy)

• One year of experience precepting pharmacist students and/or pharmacy residents

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• PHRM - Pharmacist - State Licensure -- Texas Pharmacist license or eligible for Texas Pharmacist license within 90 days AND
• PPC- Pharmacist Preceptor Cert - State Licensure within 90 days AND
• NRP - Neonatal Resuscitation -- For pharmacists regularly assigned to respond to Code Blue events within 90 days AND
• IV Certification - Intravenous certification (ACPE) -- If applicable to primary work assignment within 90 days AND
• BLS - Basic Life Support (AHA) within 90 days

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• Exhibits strong interpersonal, teamwork and leadership skills with all levels of the healthcare team and assures delivery of excellent customer service to all patients, visitors, physicians and co-workers; capable of assuming responsibility for coordinating the activities of a major pharmacy service area

• Knowledge and skills in comprehensive pharmacy services and rational drug therapy including unit-dose drug distribution, intravenous admixture preparation, nutrition support services, and target drug monitoring

• Ability to assist in the coordination and supervision of activities of a major pharmacy service area

• Demonstrates the knowledge of advanced principles regarding rational drug therapy, including but not limited to, professional and technical competence in the selection, evaluation, utilization, and distribution of drugs and drug information and apply these to all patient groups, neonate to geriatric

• Working knowledge of medical information systems and their design, development, and integration into clinical practice

• Proficient in all areas of pharmacy technology

• Highly organized with the ability to multi-task and work effectively with team and stakeholders to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness

• Computer skills to include proficiency in MS Office and EMR software

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs Yes
• Business professional Yes
• Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital, scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025, will be Houston Methodist's ninth hospital and will incorporate the most advanced technology available from the day the doors open. With 100 beds (at our opening; licensed for 276) and a prime location in the heart of the rapidly growing U.S. 290 corridor, the hospital will be equipped with technologically advanced innovations implemented during COVID, many of them designed to make patient communication with physicians, staff and families the very best and most effective in any health care facility. Even though the hospital won't be fully operational until 2025, we have several services and specialties opening in 2024.