Welcome to Saint Joseph East, a 217-bed, full-service, community hospital located in a convenient setting in Lexington, Kentucky. Saint Joseph East also includes the Women's Hospital at Saint Joseph East which is dedicated to supporting the well-being of women in Central and Eastern Kentucky and serves a 16-bed Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). 

CHI Saint Joseph Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, a non-profit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. With approximately 175,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians. 

Our commitment to serve the common good is delivered through the dedicated work of thousands of physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, and staff; through clinical excellence delivered across a system of 140 hospitals and more than 2,200 care centers serving 24 states.

Job Summary / Purpose

Perform duties consistent with the daily operation of patient care for Pharmaceutical Services in all areas of drug involvement within the hospital and assists in the development and administration of new programs and procedures.  Maintain quality patient care throughout the department based on established departmental policies and Regulatory Agencies Standards.  

Essential Key Job Responsibilities

• Review and interpret medication and pharmaceutical orders for in-patients/out-patients.

• Enter essential information pertaining to medication or pharmaceutical order into Pharmacy computer system.

• Review medication or pharmaceutical entry for accuracy.

• Review medication orders for allergies, drug interactions, over dosage, duplication and therapeutic parameters using professional knowledge and expertise to facilitate decisions.

• Prepare and dispense prescriptions to discharged in-patients, E.R. patients, employees and their dependents and other persons under emergency situations following all applicable state and federal regulations.

• Prepares medications and pharmaceuticals for distribution to in-patients.  Compounds products not commercially available when necessary.  Checks each patient tray, filled by technicians, for accuracy prior to delivery to nursing units.

• Accurately records orders for, and prepares sterile products according to established procedures using proper sterile technique in the laminar flow hood.  Applies a broad base of pharmaceutical knowledge to insure compatibility to multi-additives of parenteral solutions.  Follows recommended guidelines regarding the handling and preparation of cytotoxic and other hazardous products.

• Provides specialized services to each of the following clinical specialty areas:

• Neonatal nursery - prepares products with special regard for the pediatric patient employing pharmacokinetic principles when appropriate.

• Oncology - prepares products with special regard for the oncology patient and provides monitoring and documentation of their administration.

• Cardiology - prepares products with special regard for the cardiac patient including rate and dosage calculations for urgent cardiovascular crisis medications.

• Intensive Care - prepares products with special regard for the critically ill patient requiring a variety of dosage forms and routes of administration.

• Surgery - provides a broad spectrum of pharmaceutical products and services including such things as analgesics, anesthetics, antibiotics and special dilutions for the patient during surgical procedure and post-anesthesia care.

• Provide drug information to allied health professionals when requested including special literature searches.

• Provide drug information and discharge counseling to patients when appropriate (i.e. all take home prescriptions filled by the pharmacy and patient counseling at the request of nursing or a physician).  

• Issue controlled substances to nursing units/departments and maintain records as required.

• Identify, store and control medications brought to hospital by patient.

• Confers with physicians when necessary to clarify/verify orders.

• Provide pharmacokinetic consults to physicians and other health care personnel.

• Evaluate patient medication regimens for appropriate use, therapeutic alternatives and formulary compliance.

• Provides Pharmacy input for assessment of patient's nutritional needs.

• Assumes duties of Team Leader as assigned.

• Conduct monthly inspections of medication storage areas through the hospital as assigned.

• Prepares and presents in-service programs within the hospital and provides expertise to community outreach programs.

• Participates in department's Quality Assurance program when assigned.

1. Performs other duties as assigned.

       The job summary and responsibilities listed above are designed to indicate the general nature of the work performed within this job. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all job responsibilities required of employees assigned to this job. Employees may be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience 

Graduate of accredited College of Pharmacy, which includes approved internship and/or residency.  

Preferred Education and Experience 

Hospital experience and Clinical Residency preferred

Required Licensure and Certifications

PHARM:KY

Required Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Training

. Must possess demonstrated leadership qualities and good communication skills.  Must be proficient in computer skills.