The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist shall support patient care responsibilities for specialty pharmacy patients.

The Clinical Pharmacist shall serve as a liaison between the Specialty pharmacy staff and the Assistant Director of Pharmacy. The Clinical Pharmacist shall deliver comprehensive services for patients receiving specialty medications across the spectrum of access, delivery, and innovative clinical care. Be responsible for applying clinical knowledge and expertise of specialty disease state management to provide clinical services including 1) patient assessment, 2) medication review and reconciliation 3) patient education and 4) regular follow up with patients utilizing the DCH Outpatient pharmacy for their specialty medication needs.

1. Develops individualized patient care plans and performs therapy management baseline and periodic reassessment for every enrolled patient prior to medication dispensation. Initial care plan and reassessment involve adherence monitoring, medication reconciliation, drug interaction assessment, side effect management, comprehensive medication reviews (CMR), and patient counseling and education.  
2. Supports providers in selecting appropriate specialty medication(s), responding to patient-specific drug information requests, and writing insurance coverage appeal letters for specialty medication(s).
3. Ensures optimal effectiveness and safety of medications dispensed and consistently provides accurate, clear, and timely drug information to healthcare teams and patients.
4. Provides functional supervision of technical staff working in their area, including completion of job assignments and assuring adherence to institutional policies and procedures.
5. Manages time efficiently and oversees daily operations to maintain high productivity of Specialty Pharmacy Services staff.
6. Contributes to accreditation maintenance and renewal along with associated quality improvement and assurance of initiatives and metrics.
7. Develops and presents educational topics and staff development programs; participates in activities to enhance the pharmacy department’s professional and/or clinical services; develop medication protocols to optimize patient’s drug therapy; and serve as a clinical resource to the healthcare team.
8. Assists the Assistant Director of Pharmacy in the development of new policies and procedures, and assures timely review and revision of procedures as the program expands.
9. Participates in the Quality Management Committee.
10. Maintains a clinical pharmacy rotation for students and residents. Supports and mentors resident research and other scholarly activities.
11. Documents patient education, improvements in patient outcomes, and cost containment efforts in the specialty pharmacy management software.  
12. Provides the Assistant Director of Pharmacy with a quarterly performance improvement reports and graphs that depict patient care activities.  Participates in other performance improvement activities, as assigned by the Assistant Director of Pharmacy.
13. Maintains workload statistics and other productivity parameters to promote the success of the specialty pharmacy services.
14. Assists with performance evaluations and annual competencies as directed by the Assistant Director of Pharmacy.
15. Assists with the training of new employees and staff education.
16. Has working knowledge of all State and Federal laws and regulations affecting the practice of pharmacy.

DCH Standards:

• Maintains performance, patient and employee satisfaction and financial standards as outlined in the performance evaluation.
• Performs compliance requirements as outlined in the Employee Handbook
• Must adhere to the DCH Behavioral Standards including creating positive relationships with patients/families, coworkers, colleagues and with self.

• Performs essential job functions in a manner that ensures the safety of patients, visitors and employees.
• Identifies and reduces unsafe practices that may result in harm to patients, visitors and employees.
• Recognizes and takes appropriate action to reduce risks and hazards to promote safety for patients, visitors and employees.

• Requires use of electronic mail, time and attendance software, learning management software and intranet.
• Must adhere to all DCH Health System policies and procedures.
• All other duties as assigned.

Must hold a current license to practice pharmacy in the State of Alabama or acquire license in 90 days. Must be an Alabama pharmacy preceptor or become a preceptor within six months. The candidate must have developed an area of personal clinical practice, contributing regularly to patient care, and has exhibited a commitment to maintain a level of practice well beyond that required of staff practitioners.

This position requires a:

• Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited college of pharmacy or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Completion of an ASHP Accredited PGY1 required.
• An ASHP Accredited PGY2 or minimum of four years postgraduate experience in direct patient care in a specialty pharmacy environment is preferred.  
• Credentialed as a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialty (BCPS) or Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP) by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties or as a Certified Specialty Pharmacist (CSP) by Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board (SPCB) is preferred.
• Specialty, ambulatory care, and Medication Therapy Management (MTM) experience is preferred.
• ACLS Certification is preferred. Experience precepting and training pharmacy students and residents are preferred.  Membership and active participation in professional pharmacy organizations is expected.  Leadership experience is preferred.  Work experience on multidisciplinary teams and participating on Medical Staff Committees is preferred.  Must possess effective communication and supervisory skills.  Must be able to read, write legibly, speak and comprehend English.
• Must be patient-centered, flexible, adaptable to change, innovative, and willing to take on tasks/responsibilities with autonomy and creativity as we are a growing program, and the working environment will continue to change.

WORKING CONDITIONS

WORK CONTEXT

Environmental

• Exposure to contaminants
• Exposure to hazardous conditions
• Close physical proximity
• Requires wearing common protective or safety equipment

 Psychological

• Contact with others
• Occasionally deal with unpleasant or angry people
• Daily use of electronic mail
• Engage in face to face discussions
• Frequent use telephone
• Work with group or team

 PHYSICAL FACTORS

• Physical activities include: Talking, hearing, bending, twisting, walking, kneeling, crouching, stooping, climbing, balancing, reaching, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, repetitive motion, standing, and/or using hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls).
• Light work. Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for sedentary work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for light work.
• Must be able to perform the duties with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to tolerate prolonged periods of sitting and/or standing
• Hearing and vision must be normal or corrected to within normal range.
• Possible exposure to disease, infection and hazardous materials.
• Physical presence onsite is essential.

 OTHER JOB FACTORS

• Must be pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Must be reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfill obligations.
• Must be able to file and maintain records.
• Must be careful about detail and be thorough in completing work tasks
• Must be willing to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Must be honest and ethical.
• Must be able to accept criticism and deal calmly and effectively with high stress situations.