Northwest HERC

Overview

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent, nonprofit organization providing adult cancer treatment and groundbreaking research focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Based in Seattle, Fred Hutch is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in Washington.

With a track record of global leadership in bone marrow transplantation, HIV/AIDS prevention, immunotherapy and COVID-19 vaccines, Fred Hutch has earned a reputation as one of the world's leading cancer, infectious disease and biomedical research centers. Fred Hutch operates eight clinical care sites that provide medical oncology, infusion, radiation, proton therapy and related services, and network affiliations with hospitals in five states. Together, our fully integrated research and clinical care teams seek to discover new cures to the world's deadliest diseases and make life beyond cancer a reality.

At Fred Hutch we value collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity and respect. Our mission is directly tied to the humanity, dignity and inherent value of each employee, patient, community member and supporter. Our commitment to learning across our differences and similarities make us stronger. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems.

The Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist will be responsible for the day-to-day activities of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, with a focus on optimizing the use of antimicrobial agents in the inpatient setting. They will be actively involved in development and implementation of antimicrobials related guidelines, education, and evaluation of antimicrobial usage. They will support the Inpatient Fred Hutch Infectious Diseases consult team and work together to implement institutional guidelines and engage in process improvement work to promote the appropriate use of antimicrobials.

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, all employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to our values of collaboration, compassion, determination, excellence, innovation, integrity, and respect.

This is a Full-Time role working out of the Fred Hutch Unit at University of Washington Medical Center - Montlake.

Responsibilities

Antimicrobial Stewardship:

• Work with the antimicrobial stewardship leadership to define and implement institutional guidelines for appropriate use of antimicrobials.

• Attend inpatient clinical rounds with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Infectious Diseases teams on a regular basis.

• Facilitate transition of appropriate patients to ambulatory antimicrobial therapy.

• Attend and participate in microbiology plate rounds.

• Improve antimicrobial prescribing practices through education of provider and clinical pharmacy staff.

• Evaluate trends of antimicrobial use and resistance, In Fred Hutch patients, throughout the UW Medical Center and Fred Hutch Cancer Center.

• Review and provide feedback to providers on antimicrobial use.

• Participate in drug-use-evaluations and organizational process improvement projects.

• Work in partnership with Infection Prevention.

• Provide outpatient clinical coverage as needed to support the outpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship Pharmacist

Clinical:

• Collaborate with providers to individualize drug therapies promoting safe, effective and economical patient care.
• Perform comprehensive medication therapy review and other activities as necessary to ensure safe transitions of care.
• Assume responsibility for monitoring and modifying the drug regimen when referred, to include the ordering and interpretation of laboratory testing.
• Provide refill authorization in conjunction with assessment of adherence, disease states, drug interactions, efficacy, and safety.
• Act as a drug information resource to providers, nursing staff, research staff and patients.
• Ensure patient access to specialty medications by assisting with providing required clinical information to insurers when needed.
• Identify patients with indications for drug therapy who are under-treated and optimize drug therapy.
• Identify barriers to adherence to medication regimen, incorporating patient characteristics i.e. language, culture/religious practices, physical, cognitive, emotional, pain/discomfort, socioeconomic status.
• Utilize tools in educating the patient on self-management of disease and drug therapy.
• Review clinic prescribing patterns with clinic staff to design targeted education to promote consistency with UWP guidelines (or other nationally recognized guidelines when needed)
• The pharmacist may manage anticoagulation therapy, infectious disease therapy, complementary and alternative therapy, or pain/palliative care for clinic patients under a collaborative drug therapy agreement. Patient care activities include management of all aspects of therapy including initiation, patient education, short term and long term monitoring and management, care transitions, and consults.

Education:

• Provide primary preceptorship of pharmacy residents and student pharmacists
• Provide education to medical/surgical residents, nursing staff and medical students
• Present at educational conferences to multidisciplinary staff, as requested
• Develop and provide nursing in-services
• Provide didactic teaching to student pharmacists at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, as requested

Research:

• Participate in collaborative research projects with healthcare professionals, pharmacy residents and student pharmacists.
• Submit unique work for publication in professional journals
• May assist in the preparation, review and implementation of drug study protocols
• Collaborating with investigators in support of investigational drug studies

Practice Management:

• Implement and maintain departmental policies and procedures related to the safe and effective use of medications
• Routinely evaluate current updates in service specific literature
• Develop and maintain drug therapy monitoring systems for patients
• Establish and maintain efficient lines of communication between pharmacists, physicians, nurses and other members of the health care team.
• Participate in pharmacy and hospital committees as requested
• Participate in the development and implementation of quality assurance programs for pharmacy services, including, but not limited to, prevention of medication errors
• Perform drug utilization evaluation and cost containment analyses, as needed

Dispensing:

• Perform duties of a dispensing pharmacist (oral chemo clinic, infusion pharmacy, and/or retail pharmacy) as required

Qualifications

Required:

• Graduation from an accredited School of Pharmacy
• Infectious disease pharmacy residency, fellowship training or year-for-year experience working as an infectious disease pharmacist.
• State of Washington Pharmacist License
• Two years of experience in pharmacy practice (months spent in the completion of an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists accredited residency training program may substitute month-for-month for the experience)

Preferred:

• Doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree, or equivalent, from an accredited School of Pharmacy
• Board Certification in Infectious Diseases

As a condition of employment Fred Hutch conducts pre-employment drug testing for this pharmacy role. All offers of employment in the pharmacy department are conditional on the applicant successfully completing and passing a drug test in accordance with the Fred Hutch policy.

The annual base salary range for this position is from $156,832 to $261,352, and pay offered will be based on experience and qualifications.

This is a Full-Time role working out of the Fred Hutch Unit at University of Washington Medical Center - Montlake.Although Fred Hutch is not sponsoring most H-1B visas at this time, candidates who already hold an H-1B sponsored by another organization and are currently in the U.S. may be eligible for this position.Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers employees a comprehensive benefits package designed to enhance health, well-being, and financial security. Benefits include medical/vision, dental, flexible spending accounts, life, disability, retirement, family life support, employee assistance program, onsite health clinic, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation (12-22 days per year), paid sick leave (12-25 days per year), paid holidays (13 days per year), and paid parental leave (up to 4 weeks).

Additional Information