Junior Pharmacist – Addis Cardiac Hospital Vacancy Announcement

General Duties

• Review prescriptions issued by the Physician, or other authorized prescriber to assure accuracy, appropriateness of medication, and determine formulas and ingredients needed.
• Answers questions and provides information to pharmacy customers on drug interactions, side effects, dosage and storage of pharmaceuticals.
• Enters data such as patient name, prescribed medication and cost, to maintain pharmacy files, charge system, and inventory.
• To act as a source of specialist advice and information and support Medicines Information for inpatient specialities.
• To work with the multidisciplinary team and educate patients / nursing staff about prescribed medication regimes (inpatient and discharge) with the aim of improving compliance.
• To achieve medicines reconciliation processes and enhances patient safety at ward level.
• To identify prescriptions that might present risks to patients and to resolve relevant issues before dispensing. To recognise and discern prescribing or administration errors, assessing potential risk & strategies to manage this risk. Making clinical interventions by challenging other professionals in their prescribing or administration practices and to ensure accurate records are kept.
• To liaise with nursing and medical staff to ensure that the clinical service reflects the needs of all users of the pharmacy service. To ensure that the pharmacy service is focused on the needs of the patients
• To ensure the appropriate use of the ACH antibiotic policy and other hospital medicine- related policies and audit compliance.
• To work in the Inpatient pharmacy, undertaking responsibilities required of a dispensary pharmacist, including ensuring that medicines are dispensed in a legal, efficient and accurate way and that the appropriate clinical and other checks have been carried out.
• To contribute to the co-ordination of the clinical services provided by the Pharmacy department as a whole and ensure medicines are issued and used in a safe and efficient manner and that protocols utilised are clinically based and patient focused
• Support the provision of pharmacist cover in the In and Outpatient pharmacies and ensure medicines are dispensed in a safe, efficient and accurate way. This will include dispensing, checking other staff members work and posting payments to patients’ accounts.
• To assist with the provision of outpatient pharmacy service in accordance with the standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council for licensed retail pharmacies.
• To participate in the training of pharmacy technicians. To develop and implement procedures and training for other pharmacy staff in the areas of counselling and counter-prescribing.
• To be fully aware of and implement the ordering and stock maintenance procedures. To assist in the effective control of stock in the dispensary and support the computerised ward medicines distribution service.
• To be aware of prescribing trends and drug usage in the hospital and to liaise with the Pharmacy Purchasing technician to ensure supply matches demand.
• To undertake projects that will improve the quality of patient care and /or reduce expenditure and contain costs and facilitate the effective and cost efficient use of medicines.
• To participate in education of nursing and medical staff in relation to new medications.
• Participate in the on-call, holiday services and weekend / evening rotas
• To read, comply and review all applicable SOPs within the Pharmacy department. To ensure development of all new SOP’s in accordance with change of practice and legislation.
• Implement change where necessary (through review and update of existing SOP or implementation of new SOP) in liaison with the Deputy head pharmacist / head Pharmacist.
• To pro-actively escalate communications to resolve and improve any workflow issues to ensure all team members are suitably informed. To participate in and where required lead team meetings.
• To assist in the training of new staff and work placements where necessary.
• Be fully aware of the ordering and stock maintenance procedures. To assist in the effective control of stock in the dispensary and year end stock take.
• To cover dispensary service for Outpatient Pharmacy as required and to work flexible hours if required to accommodate changing workload patterns.
• Undertake relevant tasks that may be delegated which are appropriate to your level of experience and expertise.
• To undertake any additional duties or projects that may be required by the head Pharmacist/ Deputy head Pharmacist.
• Exposure to blood, chemicals, and other bodily fluids.
• Other physical demands that coincide with the duties of a pharmacy professional.

Reports To:  Pharmacy Head

Department: Pharmacy

Accountable To: Pharmacy Head