Job Description

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND GOALS

This clinical pharmacist is a member of the Department of Pharmacy with dotted line reporting to HemOnc with a primary focus of providing comprehensive pharmacy services for the patients of the Cancer Center at Tufts Medical Center. This pharmacist will serve as a subject matter expert within the Department of Pharmacy and liaison with Hematology/Oncology/TCT (hematopoietic transplant and cellular therapy) multidisciplinary team members to ensure optimal patient care. The individual in this role will provide leadership for implementing and maintaining relevant medication policies, guidelines, protocols and standard operating procedures within the interprofessional team model. This specialist will be responsible for maintaining a broad-based practice in hematology, oncology and TCT medicine while educating all Tufts Medical Center pharmacists, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, and medical oncologists, oncology fellows, and medical students about the care of patients affected by these conditions. This pharmacist will have opportunity for academic appointment at Tufts University School of Medicine and faculty membership in the Division of Hematology-Oncology commensurate with training and experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE

• Provide pharmacotherapy presence in hematology, oncology & TCT inpatient services and the outpatient infusion center
• Contribute to the growth of pharmacy services with the Cancer Center interprofessional model
• Co-chair, with Division Chief, the Cancer Care P&T Committee and complete the associated responsibilities
• In partnership with the Chief of the Division of HemOnc will have responsibility to oversee institutional policies on administration of chemotherapy regimens
• Oversees the cancer care portion of the electronic medical record.  This includes validation of new treatment plans for chemotherapy.  Works with faculty and IT/Build team on the development of new plans in the electronic medical record.
• Precept pharmacy PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents, and pharmacy students as appropriate
• Serve as pharmacy educational resource for subspecialty HemOnc fellows and medical students
• Serve as liaison between the Investigational Drug Service, the Investigational Review Board and the Cancer Center
• Meet annual FACT accreditation for TCT pharmacist

Senior clinical pharmacy specialists (SCPS) at Tufts Medical Center work closely with other health practitioners to meet the various needs of our patients. They improve the health of patients by providing pharmaceutical care to individual patients and by serving as a resource to physicians, nurses, and other health professionals. Senior clinical pharmacy specialists provide leadership by facilitating the development, implementation, and maintenance of hospital and departmental systems that promote desirable patient outcomes. They educate students, interns, residents, nurses and patients and they participate in drug therapy research. Pharmacists review and approve medication orders, monitor drug therapies, and provide drug information. Pharmacists supervise and direct support personnel. In the absence of the pharmacy manager, a senior clinical pharmacy specialist may be required to assume the essential responsibilities and perform the duties of the pharmacy manager.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS:

LEADERSHIP

• Serve as chair or otherwise actively participate in a Tufts Medical Center multidisciplinary committee.
• Actively participate in a state or national professional organization.
• Present at state and national professional meetings.
• Publish in a refereed journal or author a textbook chapter / section.
• Serve as a reviewer for a textbook or a refereed journal.
• Serve as lecturer at a school of pharmacy or allied health profession.
• Evaluate the clinical skills of clinical pharmacy specialists and clinical pharmacists.
• Maintain an adjunct faculty appointment at a school of pharmacy and at medical school or nursing school.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Participate in the professional development of clinical pharmacy specialists and clinical pharmacists.
• Provide continuing education for the Tufts Medical Center professional staffs (e.g., pharmacists, physicians, nurses).
• Serve as primary preceptor for PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents in an area of specialized practice.
• Serve as a primary preceptor for Doctor of Pharmacy students in an area of specialized practice.
• Help to secure funding and serve as director of a fellowship or a PGY2 specialty residency.

POLICY AND PROCEDURE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE

• Coordinate review of policies and procedures related to clinical practice
• Identify the need for, and create new policies and procedures.

FORMULARY REVIEW AND MAINTENANCE

• Coordinate periodic reviews of therapeutic classes of drugs related to specialized practice and present findings to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and others.
• Prepare and present to the appropriate committees evidence-based reviews of drugs requested for formulary addition that relate to specialized practice.
• Initiate and facilitate completion of drug use evaluations.

GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Coordinate the development and implementation of treatment guidelines, protocols and clinical pathways.
• Monitor compliance with treatment guidelines, protocols and clinical pathways and present findings to the appropriate committees.

ENSURE OPTIMAL DRUG THERAPY

• Actively participate in multidisciplinary patient care rounds except when replaced by a faculty member.
• Provide pharmacist coverage to ambulatory clinics as appropriate for the specialty practice.
• Develop and coordinate departmental drug-specific and population-specific initiatives.
• Detect and report medication errors and adverse drug reactions in a timely manner.
• Provide clinical consultation to physicians, nurses and pharmacists.
• Provide accurate, adequate and timely drug information to Tufts Medical Center professional staff.
• Conduct medication history interviews and provide drug information to patients and their families.
• Document in the medical record patient evaluations and recommendations, and medication histories.
• Document pharmacist interventions according to established policies.

DRUG COST MANAGEMENT

• Predict and propose changes in drug usage based on published literature and Tufts Medical Center practices.
• Present cost-effectiveness analyses to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and others.
• Identify and coordinate opportunities to generate additional revenue for the Medical Center.

DRUG THERAPY RESEARCH

• Participate with other health care professionals in designing, conducting and publishing original research.
• Collaborate with Department of Pharmacy and hospital administrators to secure external funding for research.
• Following Tufts Medical Center policies and with the approval of the Director of Pharmacy, use funding to support research, education and credentialing.

DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACY OPERATIONAL SUPPORT

• Collaborate with other pharmacists to provide service to every patient covered by a pharmacist team. This service component includes cross-coverage for a specific patient population for up to 8 hours per week.

DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACY QUALITY PROGRAMS

• Design and coordinate at least one Department of Pharmacy Quality Program.
• Participate by gathering and reporting data from one or more than one of the following Department of Pharmacy Quality Programs that relate to:

Qualifications

Senior clinical pharmacy specialists must be able to work independently with minimal direct supervision. They must be able to handle frequent interruptions and adapt to changes in workload and work schedule. They must be able to set priorities, make critical decisions, and respond quickly to emergency requests. Senior clinical pharmacy specialists must be able to provide a high level of service to patients in a specialty practice.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to execute each duty satisfactorily and be able to use various computer systems proficiently. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively in English (orally and in writing).

CREDENTIALS:

• Must be a graduate of an accredited college or university with a BS in Pharmacy or a PharmD degree.
• The ideal candidate has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, has completed a general pharmacy practice residency and a specialty residency or fellowship, and has related practice experience.
• Board certification is not required but is encouraged.
• Candidates with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and only a general pharmacy practice residency should have at least three years related practice experience.
• Candidates with a PharmD or a BS in Pharmacy without formal postgraduate training should have at least five years related practice experience.

LICENSURE:

• Licensed to practice pharmacy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or eligibility.

WORK SCHEDULE:

• Full-time employment is 40 hours per week. Includes evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary. Senior clinical pharmacy specialists are not included in the managers’ pool or in the pharmacists’ on-call pool.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g., use of computer keyboard.
• May require lifting and carrying light loads, including boxes, equipment, and stooping or kneeling.
• Sitting, walking or standing for long periods of time is often necessary.
• Must be able to physically operate equipment used for the job

Additional Information All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT:

Must be able to perform all essential functions of this position with reasonable accommodation if disabled.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed, as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Tufts Medical Center reserves the right to modify position duties at any time, to reflect process improvements and business necessity.

COVID-19 POLICY:

Please note that effective October 1, 2021, as a condition of employment at Tufts Medical Center, all employees and new hires must have received their complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have been granted an exemption.