Pharmacist

Job Summary:

As the Pharmacist, you are a professional who responds to requests for preparing and dispensing medications and other pharmaceuticals in order to fill written prescriptions issued by physicians, dentists and other qualified prescribers.  Pharmaceutical services are performed in accordance with established and approved hospital protocols, accreditation standards and New York State Department of Health regulations for dispensing and storing medications and controlled substances.  Incumbents serve as health resource persons in a multidisciplinary health care team approach, advising on the pharmacology aspects of patient treatment plans when consulted.  May be assigned to the pharmacy in the main hospital or to one of the satellite services: Outpatient, Correctional Health, RTI, Psychiatric Institute, or Oncology.  Work is subject to shift assignment and weekend/holiday rotation schedules.  Supervision may be exercised over pharmacy interns, clerical and other support staff.  Does related work as required.

Responsibilities:

• Reviews and fills written prescriptions, using the unit dose dispensing system, determines the ingredients needed, and assures that overdoses have not been prescribed or that toxic compounds will not result from combining ingredients;
• Maintains individual patient medication profiles and refers to them for drug incompatibilities, drug allergies and drug interactions;
• Contacts physicians to verify patient medication orders for dose, route, name, and frequency of administration;
• Provides information to physicians and other qualified prescribers on the availability of new drugs, warnings on currently marketed drugs, incompatibility of certain drugs and contraindications of drugs and other pharmaceuticals;
• Operates automated pharmaceutical database to retrieve the most updated information and control the dispensing of drugs;
• Ensures that medications are properly labeled for identification, direction for use, dosage, and dated so detailed accountability is maintained;
• Ensures that dispensed drugs are delivered on time;
• Ensures that drugs and pharmaceuticals are properly stored, secured, rotated for shelf life, reordered to maintain adequate supplies, and properly disposed of; 
• Dispenses controlled drugs and maintains proper inventory records in accordance with established protocols, rules and regulations;
• Conducts regular inspections of nursing stations to ensure proper storage, security, adequate supply of drugs, and expiration of medications;
• Prepares intravenous (IV) solutions including hyper alimentation solutions, chemotherapy and other admixture solutions using aseptic methods;
• Oversees the preparation of parenteral medications by non-licensed supportive personnel to ensure the correct drug is prepared and labeled for patient administration in accordance with New York State Board of Pharmacy Rules and Regulations;
• Monitors patients on IV therapy, referring and updating individual records as necessary;
• Ensures that the pharmacy area and IV additive room are maintained in a clean and orderly fashion;
• Controls the dispensing, ordering and recordkeeping of investigational antineoplastic medications according to FDS guidelines to ensure the proper medication is dispensed, that sufficient drug is available and that accurate and detailed accountability is maintained;
• Instructs patients on the proper use of the drugs; 
• Compounds non-sterile and sterile preparations and maintains required records;
• Prepares written reports and medication reviews as required;
• Participates in in-service training of pharmacy interns, students, house staff and other health professionals, as assigned;
• Keeps abreast of advances in the field of pharmacology through conferences, seminars, continuing education and scientific journals.

Qualifications/Requirements:

Experience: One year of experience where the primary function of the position was as a pharmacist. 

Education: Bachelor’s or Doctorate of Pharmacy degree required. Minimum one year pharmacy residency training completed (or equivalent training/experience) recommended.

Licenses / Certifications: Possession of a valid license and current registration as a Pharmacist issued by New York State and one year of experience where the primary function of the position was as a pharmacist.  

Other:  Thorough knowledge of the science, practices and procedures of modern pharmacology; good knowledge of the operation and protocols used in a pharmacy in a large tertiary care medical center; ability to understand, interpret and fill written prescriptions and formularies; ability to understand the composition and properties of a large variety of drugs, their manufacture and uses, their pharmacologic action, and procedures for testing their purity and strength; ability to measure, weigh, and package drugs using accurate computation; ability to work well with physicians and other health professionals; ability to effectively use computer applications such as spreadsheets, word processing, calendar, e-mail and database software in performing work assignments; sound professional judgment; tact; physical condition commensurate with the demands of the position.