Job Summary:

In accordance with the Purpose, Vision, Values and Coast Salish Teachings, and strategic direction of PHSA, safety, including both patient and employee safety, is a priority and a responsibility shared by everyone at PHSA. As such, the requirement to continuously improve quality and safety is inherent in all aspects of this position.

The Drug Information Clinical Pharmacist performs additional procedures for the majority of time in a specialized oncology practice.  Responsibilities include providing drug information to pharmacists, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals both internal and external to the Agency, individualization of drug therapy utilizing patient information to develop therapeutic plans, providing in-service education to other health care professionals within the Agency, and providing instruction/supervision to pharmacy students and/or pharmacy residents. In addition, the Drug Information Clinical Pharmacist supports the development of oncology information resources and facilitating the effective distribution of oncology drug information throughout the Province to both health care professionals and oncology patients.

Duties/Accountabilities:

1.    Provides verbal and written drug information to physicians, nurses and other health care professionals within the Agency, to the lay public, pharmacists and other health care professionals external to the Agency and to patients through individualized counselling.

2.    Collaborates with members of the Provincial Tumour Groups, the Provincial Systemic Therapy Program, and other members of the health care team to develop protocols, pre-printed orders, cancer drug manual monographs and related drug information.

3.    Interacts with patients and the health care team to ensure appropriate medication therapy and to develop therapeutic plans through methods such as developing discharge plans for inpatients and medication calendars for outpatients, assisting, as part of the care team, with the formulation of a therapeutic plan for the use of supportive care medications and assessing patient comprehension of that plan, answering patient’s questions and assisting with formulation of a therapeutic plan for the use of alternative and complementary treatments, and monitoring of patient compliance with therapeutic plans.


4.    Provides instruction and/or supervision of pharmacy students and/or pharmacy residents through methods such as mentoring and teaching students and residents on rotation.

5.    Provides in-service education and staff development to pharmacy staff and other members of the health care team through methods such as oral and poster presentations.

6.    Provides education to individual patients, patient support groups and the general public through methods such as oral or poster presentations or patient counselling.    

7.    Maintains professional competence and expertise in the pharmaceutical profession through methods such as on-going review of current pharmacy and medical literature, attendance at in-service or other educational programs and through contact with peer professionals.

8.    Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education, Training and Experience

•    Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy with current registration as a Licensed Pharmacist with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia.
•    Completion of a Hospital Pharmacy Residency Program
•    Minimum of two (2) years of recent related experience including experience in oncology and/or hematology and drug information or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.  

Skills and Abilities

•    Knowledge and competency in strategies for drug information provision and critical review of medical/paramedical literature, and strategies for individualizing drug therapy in patients.
•    Demonstrated ability to organize work and work independently.
•    Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
•    Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
•    Demonstrated ability to use computerized pharmacy systems and other software applications such as WORD and Excel.
•    Demonstrated physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
•      Demonstrated skills in CPR techniques.