Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Pulmonary Clinic Pharmacist

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Pulmonary Clinic Pharmacist at University of Iowa

This ambulatory pharmacist position primarily serves in the Pulmonary clinic, providing essential pharmaceutical care to patients dealing with cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, and other pulmonary conditions. As a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Pulmonary Clinic Pharmacist, you will engage with critical medications such as elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and nintedanib. This role involves close collaboration with a multidisciplinary healthcare team to deliver comprehensive patient care within the Pulmonary clinic and to oversee clinical management for medications dispensed through UI Health Care Specialty Pharmacy. Key responsibilities include answering provider questions about medications, educating on new therapies and medication devices, facilitating medication access, and addressing patient inquiries. Occasional support to other clinics may be required to ensure team success. Additionally, the specialist acts as a role-model and practitioner-educator for Doctor of Pharmacy students and pharmacy residents, fulfilling clinical practice duties for the Department of Pharmaceutical Care.

Position Responsibilities

Patient Care

• Participate actively in providing pharmaceutical care within designated clinics.
• Be available in clinics when patients require clinical pharmacist services.
• Conduct thorough patient assessments, including medication history, physical assessment, lab values, patient interviews, and past medical history evaluation.
• Collaborate effectively with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers as part of the multidisciplinary team.
• Deliver disease state management and medication therapy management through collaborative practice agreements.
• Provide comprehensive patient medication assessment and education.
• Ensure therapeutic recommendation follow-up via phone calls and return clinic visits.
• Identify, evaluate, and prevent adverse drug events with appropriate interventions.
• Communicate therapeutic recommendations clearly to healthcare providers.
• Document all relevant clinical information accurately in the electronic medical record.
• Coordinate medication-planning activities, including prescription facilitation, patient education, and coordination with family or home healthcare.
• Address financial barriers to ensure patients receive necessary medications.
• Offer drug information and education to healthcare professionals.
• Serve as a liaison for ambulatory pharmacy staff regarding patient medication therapy.
• Evaluate patient-specific medication regimens for appropriateness, including indication, dose, route, interactions, efficacy, adherence, dose adjustments for organ dysfunction, adverse reactions, potential misuse, cost-effectiveness, and formulary availability.
• Provide staffing support in Specialty Pharmacy Services as needed, including patient follow-up calls for side-effects/adherence.

Residency Training and Student Teaching Programs

• Develop goals and objectives for pharmacy residency programs and Doctor of Pharmacy advanced/introductory pharmacy practice experiences.
• Prepare and administer pharmacy student and resident rotation evaluations.
• Participate in formal experiential training and didactic teaching for residency programs and pharmacy practice experiences.
• Engage in recruiting activities for pharmacy residency programs.
• Maintain daily communication and follow-up with other clinical pharmacists and healthcare professionals.
• Provide in-service education to pharmacists and healthcare team members.
• Assist physicians, nurses, and patients with medication questions, access, and continuity of care.

Documentation of Patient Care Activities

• Document clinical services and patient care activities in the electronic medical record.
• Record patient assessments and therapeutic plan recommendations.
• Report medication errors and adverse drug reactions into standard reporting systems.
• Input patient allergies and height/weight information as required.
• Document medication counseling provided to patients.
• Record interventions with prescribers and other healthcare providers.
• Complete other required clinic and follow-up telephone encounters.

New Department Clinical Service Initiatives

• Participate in the rotation for 24-hour, 7-day/week on-call coverage for ambulatory care patients (approx. 1-2 weeks/year, low usage).
• Develop or contribute to protocols for appropriate prescribing, dispensing, and monitoring of specialty medications.
• Provide leadership in department or interdisciplinary hospital committees on drug therapy issues.
• Develop or contribute to drug information resources like pocket cards and practice guidelines.
• Design, implement, and coordinate clinical components of pharmacy or hospital-wide information systems.

Administration

• Coordinate therapeutic decision-making in absence of extensive literature or experience.
• Serve as a primary reference for new drug therapy advances in specialized practice areas.
• Identify and resolve significant/highly unusual patient drug therapy problems.
• Complete clinically oriented departmental goals.
• Develop and coordinate policies, procedures, and clinical reference documents for new therapies.
• Manage and analyze medication error events, including participation in sentinel event reviews.
• Interview and evaluate prospective professional pharmacy practitioners.
• Adhere to all department policies and procedures.
• Contribute to the departmental budgetary process by designing and monitoring initiatives.
• Participate in implementing and monitoring new programs.

Quality Improvement

• Provide leadership in university committees involved with drug therapy.
• Develop and conduct measurement activities demonstrating Specialty Pharmacy Service value.
• Perform quality assurance monitoring of UI Health Care Specialty Pharmacy Services.
• Develop educational programs to certify pharmacist clinical competence and improve technician understanding of medical conditions.

Other

• Conduct research in area of expertise and present/publish results.
• Consistently demonstrate UI Health Care’s WECARE values and Service Excellence culture.
• Complete and maintain compliance with all competencies and educational requirements.

Education Requirements

A Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree is required. Eligibility for or a current license by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners is essential prior to commencing the role.

Experience Requirements

Candidates must have completed an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy practice residency OR possess 2 years’ experience in a complex multi-disciplinary healthcare environment. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are mandatory, as is job-related experience with and/or commitment to service excellence. Professional job-related experience fostering a welcoming and respectful work/academic environment is also required, or the demonstrated ability to do so.

Desired Qualifications

Satisfactory completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 residency in Ambulatory Care is highly desirable. Outpatient clinic experience working with pulmonary disease states is also highly desirable. Active board certification or experience in other applicable areas is a plus. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently, prioritize multiple stakeholders and tasks, manage details, and deliver results in an environment with competing demands, alongside strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with others.

Key skills/competency

• Pharmaceutical Care
• Medication Management
• Patient Assessment
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration
• Drug Information
• Clinical Education
• Adverse Drug Event Prevention
• Specialty Pharmacy
• Formulary Management
• Electronic Medical Records (EMR)