Clinical Pharmacist-Antimicrobial and Diagnostic Stewardship (ADSP), Full-time Days

Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Job Description

The Antimicrobial and Diagnostic Stewardship clinical pharmacist is focused on ensuring the optimal use of antimicrobials throughout Northwestern Medicine. This clinician will help build upon a well-established ADSP that aims to mitigate unnecessary and inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing via stewardship outreach and collaboration throughout our hospital as well as the optimal deployment and utilization of diagnostic tests related to antimicrobials. Shared duties and responsibilities will be to ensure compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards issued by The Joint Commission (TJC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guided by components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs. Other tasks include but are not limited to the development and implementation of stewardship guidelines, staff education, antimicrobial use pathways, formulary restrictions, hospital antibiograms, and the NM ADSP website (adsp.nm.org). Additional responsibilities include supporting the infectious diseases consultation services and coordinating with stewardship activities within the Northwestern Medicine System.

The Clinical Pharmacist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Clinical Pharmacist is responsible for identifying, preventing, and/or resolving medication related problems; for providing authoritative information to other health care professionals, patients, and the public; and for assuring that the informational, clinical, and drug distribution components of pharmacy services function as an integrated system to provide patient centered care to the patients and staff of Northwestern Medicine.

The mission of the Department of Pharmacy is to deliver the safest, highest quality, most effective and efficient patient care while developing the best people, advancing research, and integrating pharmacy services to successfully coordinate care across the Northwestern Medicine enterprise.

The vision of the Department of Pharmacy is to be a recognized as a national leader in advancing the pharmacy enterprise through excellence, innovation, education and research.

Responsibilities:

• Contributes to the following duties:
  • Maintain documentation of TJC/CMS performance measures to ensure compliance.
  • Identify and implement:
    1. Education strategies to improve antimicrobial use across the hospital, promote ADSP initiatives and mission with valued stakeholders.
    2. Priority interventions (e.g., prospective audit and feedback, preauthorization, hospital-specific treatment recommendations).
    3. Tracking of antimicrobial use for monitoring and benchmarking (e.g., impact of interventions, prescribing habits, antimicrobial resistance patterns).
    4. Reporting antimicrobial use and resistance patterns (e.g., EDW, NHSN).
    5. Organization-approved policies and procedures (e.g., annual antibiograms, treatment and prevention pathways, influenza/COVID-19 action planning, oversight of NM ASP Website).
    6. Optimal diagnostic testing to facilitate rapid optimization of antimicrobial therapy, improve patient outcomes and shorten length of stay.
• Supports existing goals and projects while seeking new opportunities to improve the ADSP.
• Coordinates with essential hospital departments and Northwestern Medicine System partners to sustain expansion and awareness of the ADSP (e.g., clinicians, infection control, microbiology, nursing, department/program heads, quality improvement & patient safety, information technology).
• Participates in the System Pharmacy and Therapeutics ADSP Subcommittee.
• Precepts clinical trainees (ID PGY-2 pharmacy resident, PGY-1 pharmacy residents, ID fellows, pharmacy students, medical residents).
• Rounds with ID consult service and evaluates patient pharmacotherapy for appropriateness of drug selection, dosage, dosage form, route, and duration, considering individual patient characteristics and clinical status.
• Triages non-formulary requests for antimicrobial therapies and manage the antimicrobial drug formulary.
• Reports adverse drug events (ADEs) in Northwestern Memorial’s confidential reporting system and collaborates with departmental and medication safety leadership to ensure continuous improvements in antimicrobial medication safety.
• Leads and participates in collaborative research projects.
• Interprets medication orders to ensure safety and proper use of medications and is alert to compatibilities, incompatibilities, medication duplication, medication allergies, and potential medication administration errors. Coordinates the solving of medication related problems between pharmacy, nursing, and prescribers, demonstrating initiative and sound judgment.
• Monitors medication therapy for significant drug-drug, drug-diet, or drug-laboratory test interactions. Intervenes in circumstances of significant interactions, therapeutic duplications, and other occasions where pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic expertise is warranted.
• Evaluates and documents that the medication(s) selected are appropriate for achieving the desired therapeutic outcome. Communicates potential problems and likely solutions to the prescriber.
• Acts as a consultant in the areas of pharmacokinetics and adverse reactions to physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Participates in all therapeutic drug monitoring or intervention programs; adjusting therapy as indicated by patient condition and laboratory results.
• Processes all medication order information into the Electronic Health Record to ensure accuracy of records regarding past, current and future dispensing and charging.
• Maintains a comprehensive pharmacy patient profile. The profile should include age, maturation, weight, allergies, diagnosis, estimated and actual pharmacokinetic parameters, and pertinent information which may affect medication therapy decisions.
• Oversees the packaging labeling, and distribution of medications for all patients and employees according to established policies, procedures, and guidelines.  Monitors the use of scheduled medications on the nursing units and maintains controlled inventories of medication in the dispensing areas.
• Compounds and dispenses pharmaceuticals including sterile products, chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition products.
• Verifies medication orders before delivery to patient care areas and ensures accuracy and completeness. Resolves discrepancies as necessary.
• Reviews all laboratory data for appropriateness of medication use and recommends changes when needed. Including microbial culture and sensitivity data, toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, etc.
• Develops and presents orientation, education and training programs for medical, nursing, hospital and pharmacy staff, as well as assisting in the educating of pharmacy students, residents, and fellows.
• Educates patients and their families about specific medications.
• Responds to emergency situations to assist with medication management (e.g. response to cardiac arrests)
• Provides accurate and timely medication information and or teaching to healthcare professionals or patients.
• Maintains the hospital formulary and acts to limit medication usage to formulary items when appropriate
• Documents all clinical activities and interventions performed. Collects data, maintains logs, records and other documentation as required by the department
• Communicates professional knowledge effectively in both oral and written forms to patients and other health professionals.
• Participates in quality improvement and medication use review activities of the department.
• Organizes, prioritizes, and plans workload within given time constraints. Works cooperatively with fellow pharmacists to oversee and direct the activities of the work area, to assign work to technicians, and to assure that the established department objectives are accomplished
• Reviews restocking automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) throughout the hospital and resolves any problems.
• Ensures compliance with hazardous waste collection and disposal procedures.
• Maintains proficiency and expertise in area/s of practice through continuous professional development.
• All other job duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required:

• Current license to practice pharmacy in the State of Illinois
• Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree

Strongly Preferred:

• Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program or at least 3 years of pharmacy practice experience with an Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infectious Diseases focus.            OR
• Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency in Infectious Disease and/or Infectious Disease-focused fellowship AND
• Currently holds at least one of the following: Board Certification in Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy OR Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy with Added-Qualification in Infectious Diseases

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

If we offer you a job, we will perform a background check that includes a review of any criminal convictions. A conviction does not disqualify you from employment at Northwestern Medicine. We consider this on a case-by-case basis and follow all state and federal guidelines.