Pharmacy Medication Safety Leader

The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD ("The HARRIS CENTER") is looking for a Pharmacy Medication Safety Lead to embark on a rewarding healthcare career. The Medication Safety Leader serves as the authoritative expert in safe medication use. Prevents adverse outcomes or injuries (e.g., patient harm) stemming from the medication-use process, including procedures and systems used to provide medication therapy to patients, medication procurement, storage, prescribing, transcribing, preparing, dispensing, administration, documentation, and monitoring. This role supports the design, implementation and review of drug diversion prevention processes across the agency. This role will also support the pharmacy department regarding legal and regulatory research and collaboration.

Your Role in Action:

• Collects, reviews, and analyzes medication-use, medication error, and adverse drug reaction data. Uses appropriate data analysis techniques to identify improvements or error-reduction strategies and collaborates with others to implement.
• Uses performance improvement methodologies and tools to monitor/measure performance improvement initiatives.
• Monitors trends and developments to stay current in the medication and patient safety field for best practices and evaluates for implementation in the organization.
• Provides direction for prioritization of the organization's medication system improvement projects. Ensures compliance with state and federal regulatory/legal requirements relating to medication safety.
• Assists in the accreditation process by ensuring that the system's medication-use processes meet applicable medication management standards.
• Participates in or leads departmental and interdisciplinary committees focused on safe medication use, quality improvement, and patient safety.
• Assists in development, review, and implementation of medication-use pharmacy and system-level policies.
• Contributes the medication-safety perspective to guide design, implementation, and maintenance of technology and automation systems (Smart pumps, EPIC). Periodically reviews and updates clinical support decisions tools (EPIC alerts; order sets).
• Serves as an authoritative resource on medication safety to the organization.
• Provides medication safety education to healthcare professionals through written communication, posters, etc. Assists in managing and communicating medication safety issues across disciplines.
• Supports design, implementation and review of drug diversion prevention processes
• Supports the pharmacy department regarding legal and regulatory research and collaboration
• Aligns with the Transformation and Quality Department to ensure medications safety and patient safety teams are collaborating and sharing consistent messaging
• Perform special projects as requested.
• Maintain and/or cover as Pharmacist In Charge and/or pharmacist as defined by pharmacy structure and resource needs.
• Other duties and work scheduled as assigned to assure continuity of service within The Harris Center

What qualifications you will need:

Education:

• Bachelors degree in pharmacy or PharmD.
• Must be a "good standing" licensed Pharmacist in the state of Texas.

Experience:

• Post graduate specialized training (eg, medication safety residency or fellowship) or three (3) or more years of health system practice experience required.
• Hospital or health system pharmacy experience preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Excellent small- and large-group presentation skills.
• Excellent oral communication skills, especially the ability to communicate to all types of health care providers as individuals as well as in small and large groups.
• Excellent writing and editing skills.
• Ability to function proactively rather than reactively
• Strong personal belief that resolving the problem of medication errors is a systems issue and not an individual health care provider issue.
• Strong personal belief in the concept of a "just culture" that enhances transparency, opens participation to all health care professionals, and fosters a "lessons learned" environment in an organization's medication error reporting system.
• Appropriate assertiveness
• Proven success in working with interdisciplinary teams and engaging diverse groups.
• Knowledgeable in regulatory compliance issues related to medication management and drug diversion prevention.
• Data analysis, report/graph creation and navigation of reports using spreadsheets, databases, pivot tables, graphs/charts and medication related reporting.
• Ability to see, hear, write, and speak clearly to communicate with customers and health care professionals.
• Excellent planning, organizing and leadership skills.

Each credential holder/candidate must:

• Act consistent with all legal requirements relating to pharmacy technician practice, including Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.
• Refrain from any behavior that violates legal or professional ethical standards, including all criminal laws, Federal laws and agency regulations, and State laws and regulatory agency rules.
• Refrain from conduct that is threatening, intimidating, harassing, or deceptive when acting within a professional role.
• Maintain good standing with all applicable governmental or quasi-governmental agencies governing pharmacy technician practice.

What we have to offer:

The Harris Center not only offers a competitive salary but also a suite of excellent benefits designed to enrich your life both professionally and personally. Imagine a future with a robust retirement plan complemented by our generous company matching - a testament to our investment in your long-term financial well-being. Experience the unique advantage of our prior service credit, accelerating your journey towards a more substantial Paid Time Off accrual, empowering you to enjoy well-deserved breaks.

Enjoy Cell Phone Discounts, exclusive entertainment deals through Tickets at Work, and a free Headspace subscription for mental wellness. Additionally, our Employee Assistance Program supports your overall well-being.

Take advantage of significant financial relief through student loan forgiveness as a valued member of The Harris Center team. As a qualifying entity, our employees are eligible for various student loan forgiveness programs, designed to alleviate the financial burdens associated with higher education.

What else you should know:

This posting is associated with position #2033.

About us:

The HARRIS CENTER is the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Authority serving Harris County, Texas. As the largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas, The Harris Center provided care to over 96,000 people in fiscal year 2023!

As part of its mission to transform the lives of people with behavioral health and IDD needs in the third largest county in the United States, The HARRIS CENTER provides a full continuum of services at 86 different sites across Harris County. In addition, services are provided in more than 40 different languages as well as sign language to better serve what is one of the most diverse and multi-cultural communities in the nation.

By utilizing the unique expertise of its more than 2,500 employees, The Harris Center is committed to meeting the behavioral health and IDD needs of Harris County residents and giving them hope to live to their fullest potential.