Medication Safety Officer
University of Iowa

The Department of Pharmaceutical Care at University of Iowa Health Care is seeking a Medication Safety Officer to join our team. The Medication Safety Officer provides oversight of the medication safety program at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. In addition, the Medication Safety Officer will provide administrative oversight and leadership for the UI Drug Information Center and Medication Use Evaluation program and be a member of the Department's senior leadership team. This position will work with pharmacy leadership, nursing, medical, and information systems to help improve the medication use process through collaboration, communication, and on-going process improvement initiatives. The Medication Safety Officer will serve as a member of the Pharmacy and UI Quality Leadership Teams. This position is responsible for supporting development of new programs, performance improvement, and other management activities in collaboration with other departments.

Responsibilities Include:

Medication Safety Leadership and Expertise

• Develop the vision for an ideal safe medication use system for the organization.
  
• Oversee the planning, creation, review, and refinement of a medication safety plan.
  
• Serve as an authoritative resource on medication safety for the organization.
  
• Contribute the medication safety perspective for technology initiatives.
  
• Coordinate and Chair monthly Medication Safety Committee and Medication Infusion Task Force meetings.
  
• Actively participate on top level quality and safety committees.
  
• Develop, review, and implement policies for the safe and effective delivery of medications and associated clinical services.
  
• Coordinate a consistent and timely approach to medication-related event review and follow-up.
  
• Provide high-level information about the usage of certain medications to patients and health-care providers.
  

Operations

• Participate in the planning, design, and implementation of the organization's medication-use technology and automation systems.
  
• Oversee processes to collect information on the organization's medication errors and system failures to ensure that they are captured and barriers to reporting are addressed.
  

Education

• Serve as an active leader in the didactic and experiential education of pharmacy residents and student pharmacists.
  
• In conjunction with area managers/directors, provide and/or coordinate educational activities for pharmacy and other health-system staff regarding medication safety.
  

Health Care System Improvement

• Participate in the review of new medications, including usage, cost/benefit analysis, outcomes and safety.
  
• Collaborate with other hospital departments/providers to evaluate, develop, and implement safe and efficient patient services.
  
• Ensure professional quality control standards are maintained through control of the medication use process.
  

Compliance and Regulatory Management

• Ensure that staff comply with federal, state laws as well as regulatory agencies regarding applicable standards pertaining to the practice of pharmacy.
  
• Interpret federal, state, or local law to implement programs and monitor compliance regarding healthcare regulations.
  
• Describe key aspects of pending regulations and legislation that may impact the department or the organization as a whole.
  
• Explain costs and operational aspects of monitoring and adherence to legal requirements.
  

Medication Use Evaluation (MUE)

• Participates in the oversight of systems to provide medication information to UIHC-wide stakeholders such as the Pharmacy and Therapeutic Subcommittee and requestors of the UI Drug Information Service.
  
• Assists in MUE planning, e.g. identifying aspects of medications to evaluate and monitor.
  
• Participates in collecting and evaluating data to identify opportunities for improvement in the medication use system.
  
• Shares data/collected results with other members of the health-system and implements interventions to further improve medication safety.
  

Human Resource Management

• Hire, develop, and manage the performance of pharmacy staff.
  
• Provide professional, developmental, and technical guidance and support to staff including pharmacists, technician managers, and technicians.
  
• Assess employee skills and aptitude; provide development and career advancement opportunities when appropriate.
  
• Develop, implement, and monitor performance improvement plans when indicated.
  

Financial Management

• Develop and implement budgetary programs to decrease medication expenses and improve inventory management.
  
• Monitor and address budget issues, including personnel expenses.
  

For a full job description, please send an e-mail to the contact listed below.

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
  
• Current license or eligibility to be licensed as Pharmacist by Iowa Board of Pharmacy.
  

Experience Requirements:

• Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1/PGY2 Health-System Administration Residency plus five (5) years' experience in a complex health-system pharmacy environment or minimum of ten (10) years' experience in a complex health-system pharmacy environment. Alternative residency training will be evaluated as acceptable alternatives based upon experiences.
  
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Ability and willingness to act as preceptor for student pharmacists and pharmacy residents.
  
• Job-related experience with and/or commitment to service excellence is required.
  
• Job-related experience with and/ or commitment to diversity in the work environment is required.
  
• Strong analytical skills and an understanding of statistics, population data, and the concepts of risk and prioritization.
  

Desired Qualifications:

• Job-related experience in the medication safety is desirable.
  
• A Master of Science in Pharmacy or healthcare/management related advanced degree such as an MHA, MPH or MBA is desirable.
  
• Experience with automation/technology, human resources management, project management and Epic electronic health record is highly desirable.
  

Position and Application Details:

In order to be considered for an interview, applicants must upload the following documents and mark them as a "Relevant File" to the submission:

• Resume
  
• Cover Letter
  

Job openings are posted for a minimum of 14 calendar days and may be removed from posting and filled any time after the original posting period has ended.

Successful candidates will be subject to a criminal background check and education/credential verification. Up to 5 professional references will be requested at a later step in the recruitment process.

For additional questions, please contact Jenna Lueth, HR Director, at jenna-lueth@uiowa.edu or 319-356-1755.

Additional Information

• Classification Title: Director, Clinical Services
• Appointment Type: Professional and Scientific
• Schedule: Full-time

Compensation

• Pay Level: 8A
• Starting Salary Minimum: $106,650
• Starting Salary Maximum: $230,870

Contact Information

• Organization: Healthcare
• Contact Name: Jenna Lueth
• Contact Email: jenna-lueth@uiowa.edu

This job has expired.