Pharmacy Intern, Inpatient

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is part of a progressive program for pharmacy interns that scales with each year of their curriculum. The first two years will be spent supporting the Department of Pharmacy’s operations. The third year will be spent obtaining admission medication histories alongside our pharmacists and existing medication reconciliation technicians. The final year, the intern will serve as a “pharmacist extender” providing clinical and cognitive support services to the pharmacists.

Position: Pharmacy Intern

Department: Inpatient Pharmacy

Schedule: Part Time

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:

All professional years

• Provides exemplary customer service to Boston Medical Center staff and patients

• Delivers exceptional care to patients with empathy and respect

• Maintains the confidentiality of all designated hospital and patient information at all times

Conforms to Boston Medical Center’s standards of conduct so that the best possible customer service and patient care experience is provided:

• Conducts interpersonal relationships with patients, visitors, physicians and fellow employees in a courteous and customer friendly manner

• Takes corrective action to improve performance on problem areas

• Follows established hospital infection control and safety procedures

• Utilizes hospital’s behavioral standards as the basis for decision making and to support the hospital’s mission and goals

• Performs other related tasks as needed/as assigned

• Responsible for the creation and maintenance of a healthy work environment. A healthy work environment is one where people feel supported, held accountable, where standards are applied and expectations are clear. A healthy work environment is one where leadership supports and leads, models behavioral standards and sets the example for how to do all things right.

• Critical responsibilities related to this:

  • Being engaged in the department, including managing up, owning team decisions, and communicating and supporting departmental and or organizational initiatives.

  • Hold self and others to the highest ethical standards, and act with honor above all.

Professional Year 1

• Performs all activities to support medication preparation and distribution in and from central pharmacy

  • Receives medication deliveries into inventory

  • Performs cycle counts and stock rotations

  • Repackages medications into unit-of-use packaging 

  • Operates pharmacy automation devices: medication carousels, automated dispensing cabinets, repackaging devices

  • Delivers and returns medications from/to central pharmacy

  • Loads, refills, outdates, destocks and unloads automated dispensing cabinets

  • Responds to nursing messages for medication replenishment

Professional Year 2

• Performs all functions of a Professional Year 1 intern

• Compounds non-sterile and sterile, non-hazardous and hazardous medications

• Performs all activities to support medication preparation and distribution in patient care areas (e.g. operating rooms, neonatal & pediatric units)

• Manages controlled substance inventories

• Receives orders into inventory

• Dispenses medications to automated dispensing machines

• Performs cycle counts of controlled substance inventory

• Reviews reports of inventory movements and reconciles any discrepancies

Professional Year 3

• Performs all functions of a Professional Year 2 intern

• Obtains medication histories on all assigned patients during scheduled shifts

• Performs patient and/or caregiver interviews to obtain dose and frequency of current medications including prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and herbal supplements

• Calls outpatient pharmacies or other healthcare facilities to confirm medication regimens or investigate discrepancies when necessary

• Communicates medication-related issues to all appropriate health care professionals

• Writes formal notes in the electronic medical record where appropriate, documenting the findings of the medication history

• Provide support to the operations of the central pharmacy as needed (e.g. ownership for patient own medication process, etc.)

Professional Year 4

• Performs all functions of a Professional Year 3 intern

• Serves as a “pharmacist extender” and works collaboratively with pharmacists to provide exceptional patient care

• Provides medication teaching to patients

• Prepares assigned pharmacy-to-dose consults for review by a pharmacist (e.g. vancomycin, aminoglycoside, renal dose adjustments, IV to PO, erythropoietin stimulating agents)

• Reviews all assigned patients for optimization of their pharmacotherapy

• Provides pharmacotherapy recommendations to the medical team where appropriate

• Obtains medication histories on all assigned patients during scheduled shifts

• Performs patient and/or caregiver interviews to obtain dose and frequency of current medications including prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and herbal supplements

• Calls outpatient pharmacies or other healthcare facilities to confirm medication regimens or investigate discrepancies when necessary

• Communicates medication-related issues to all appropriate health care professionals

• Writes formal notes in the electronic medical record where appropriate, documenting the findings of the medication history

• Provide support to the operations of the central pharmacy as needed (e.g. checks kits, checks other products, etc.)

• Completes any other task(s) assigned by the pharmacist to support their work

Must adhere to all of BMC’s RESPECT behavioral standards.

(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job.  The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

• Requires a high school diploma and must be enrolled at an accredited school of pharmacy

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

• Pharmacy intern license or eligible for a pharmacy intern license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

EXPERIENCE:

• Previous pharmacy work experience is preferred, but not required.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Excellent English communication skills (spoken and written). Must be able to read, interpret and convey complicated verbal and written instruction with precision, accuracy and dependability. Additional language skills are helpful.

• Ability to work independently to accomplish assigned daily tasks to expectation, consistently, and on-time

• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy

• Effective and strong interpersonal skills to interact appropriately with nursing staff, patients, families/visitors, physicians, colleagues, and other hospital staff

• Ability to multi-task, prioritize essential tasks and meet deadlines

• Basic computer proficiency including ability to enter, and interpret computerized data/information. Familiarity with Epic is desirable.

• Must maintain the required level of competency to perform the essential duties and responsibilities

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans

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