Chief Pharmacist

Description

Under general supervision of the Director of Pharmacy, the Chief Pharmacist oversees the daily operations of their assigned pharmacy, and assures the maintenance of high quality, professional and cost-effective pharmacy services for WIHCC. Assures communication of appropriate medication information to other health professionals and patients. Functions in place of the Director of Pharmacy, as requested. Upholds the principles of WIHCC’s Vision, Mission, and Value Statements. Maintains confidentiality of all privileged information at all times.

This list of duties and responsibilities is illustrative only of the tasks performed by this position and is not all-inclusive.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Maintains regular attendance and punctuality.
• Improves staff effectiveness by motivating, coaching, counseling, training and recommending disciplinary action for employees; planning, delegating, monitoring, appraising job tasks and results in a timely manner, and approving time sheets.
• In conjunction with the Director of Pharmacy, oversees either the supervision of Winslow & Leupp based personnel or Dilkon personnel, which includes work allocation, schedules, time approval, hiring, training, orientation, and problem resolution; evaluates performance and makes recommendations for personnel actions; motivates employees to achieve peak productivity and performance.
• Develops measurable performance expectations for assigned staff according to department goals and objectives.
• Recognizes the importance of pharmacy performance improvement and assists the Director of Pharmacy in carrying out and monitoring the Performance Improvement Program initiatives.
• Works according to Standards of Practice, the Joint Commission Standards, CMS, and other regulatory and review agencies including state and federal laws and regulations.
• Maintains an up-to-date working understanding of the Pharmacy Policy & Procedures and assures compliance with written procedures. Advises Director of Pharmacy when policies may need revision.
• Monitors the quality of services provided by the pharmacy to assure that the right medication gets to the right patient as efficiently as possible. 
• Serves as a member of the P&T Committee and supports the policies established related to the safe and effective use of medications and implements their decisions as appropriate.
• Researches medication procurement sources to advise the P&T Committee of the most timely and economical manner of procurement without compromising quality.
• Provides information to other health professionals on appropriate use of medications according to current standards of practice and current literature.  Maintains records of pharmacy transactions and licenses as required by law and as necessary to maintain control and accountability of all medications.
• Monitors the quality of drugs purchased and maintained throughout the clinic.
• Serves as a member of various committees as appointed.
• Serves as a Pharmacist when needed.
• Creates compounding prescriptions.
• Works with clinic staff to assure compliance with Area and Clinic formulary as revised and updated through the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee.
• Reviews and approves non-formulary requests taking into consideration clinical needs and cost.
• Assists the Director of Pharmacy in providing complete orientation for new pharmacy staff and clinic staff assigned to their pharmacy location.
• Assists in managing costs affecting the Pharmacy Department to include the evaluation of all expenditures.
• Returns outdated, overstocked, or damaged medications to the vendors for credit as appropriate.
• Participates and assists in managing all physical resources necessary for the safe, effective, and efficient operation of the pharmacy to include the pharmacy area, equipment, medications, and supplies.
• Manages medications in a manner to maintain an adequate inventory and to minimize inventory costs.  Stores all medications under appropriate conditions in order to assure potency and integrity of the products.
• Maintains proper licensure.  Maintains knowledge base through journals and seminar attendance as appropriate.
• Participates in professional activities and pursues opportunities for professional growth in areas of identified need.
• Attends and presents clinic in-services as appropriate.
• Ensures good public relations with all individuals.
• Recommends and enforces the importance of providing new or changing services and assists in implementing plans within the limits of the budget and/or administrative approval.
• Functions as a member of the clinic team in a manner consistent with the accomplishment of clinic and his/her objectives.
• Represents the organization to clinic employees.
• Participates in special studies and/or accept responsibilities at the request of the Director of Pharmacy.
• Maintains a safe environment for other employees, medical staff, and patients within the scope of performance of pharmacy duties.  Assures accepted security measures are maintained.
• Ensures the adherence of all safety policies and procedures; keeps informed of potential job hazards and how to avoid them; ensures all employee injuries are reported as required.
• Utilizes all safety equipment as designed and when appropriate
• Secures the departments resources from loss.
• Requires completion of tasks or duties assigned by a supervisor.
• Upholds all principles of confidentiality and patient care to the fullest extent.
• Adheres to all professional and ethical behavior standards of the healthcare industry.
• Adheres to WIHCCs Personnel Policies and Procedures, departmental policies, rules, and regulations.
• Interacts in an honest, trustworthy and dependable manner with patients, employees, visitors, and vendors.
• Possesses cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Maintains compliance with all Human Resources requirements.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

Doctor of Pharmacy Degree is required which includes professional knowledge of the theories, principles, administrative practices and techniques of Clinical and Basic Pharmacy to provide comprehensive-pharmaceutical patient services. Five years of pharmacy experience, hospital or clinical experience required.  Three years in a supervisory capacity or leadership assignment. A BLS certification is required. An ACLS certification is required within 6 months of hire. Bilingual skills in English and Navajo language preferred. Must maintain a valid unrestricted and insurable driver’s license. Must successfully pass a background investigation and maintain suitable requirements for a Child Care position. This position is considered as a Child Care position, which requires a satisfactory background check investigation and is subject to the requirements of the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act, as amended (henceforth referred as the ICPFVP Act).

Knowledge, Skills, Ability:

• Knowledge in departmental and staff planning, monitoring and evaluation drug therapy in a clinical setting. 
• Knowledge in planning, monitoring and managing Clinical Pharmacy Programs, FTE management and Pharmacy budgets.
• Knowledge of WIHCC policies and procedures.  Applies understanding of the management process and general management skills.
• Knowledge of RPMS system and all applications necessary for electronic health record implementation for the medical record.
• Knowledge of strong work ethics in the workplace.
• Knowledge of basic application of confidentiality.
• Knowledge of basic computer skills, e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Ability to communicate with other WIHCC Management Team Members, Medical Staffs in regards to the total pharmacy services within the Service Unit for treatment of the patient and educational activities related to patient care and Health Professional Students.
• Ability to maintain quality, safety, and/or infection control standards.
• Ability to design and implement systems necessary to collect, maintain, and analyze data.
• Ability to perform basic patient assessments and referrals.
• Ability to supervise and train assigned staff.
• Ability to communicate technical information to non-technical personnel.
• Ability to relate effectively to patients, patient’s families, other members of the health care team.
• Ability to make solid decisions and exercise independent judgment.
• Ability to be dependable in attendance and job performance.
• Ability to meet attendance, overtime (if necessary), and other reliability requirements of the job.
• Ability to accept and learn from feedback.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to provide exemplary customer service at all times.
• Ability to interact positively with others and possess great interpersonal skills.
• Ability to multitask and perform well under pressure.
• Ability to have self-confidence.
• Ability to be a great team player.
• Ability to accept and learn from supervisor/peer critique.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the organization.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly is required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee frequently is required to taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Work Environment:

Work is performed in clinical pharmacy environment with a moderate noise level. Work environment may involve exposure to physical risks, such as blood borne pathogens and operating dangerous equipment or working with chemicals. Evening and/or weekend work may be required. Extended hours and irregular shifts may be required.

As required by P.L. 93-638, absolute preference will be given to qualified Navajo applicants.  If there is no qualified Navajo applicant, preference will be given to qualified American Indian applicants.