Pharmacy Specialist

This position is eligible to participate in remote work. Remote work must be performed at a location within the state of Iowa. Successful candidates who participate in remote work must comply with the requirements of the remote work program and related policies.

The Pharmacy Practice Specialist (PPS) will be responsible for effective process design, development, and implementation of the Electronic Medical Record and Clinical Decision Support for oncology services. Additionally, this position will support pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other clinicians as a resource for requests related to information system changes and additions related to the oncology application. This position will provide technical knowledge, direction, and technical support for the development, configuration and ongoing maintenance of oncology patient workflows and systems. This position will be aligned with oncology standard of care, research, medication safety initiatives, including oncology medication build, dispensing enhancements, medication warning optimization, and quality improvement.

Position Responsibilities

Pharmaceutical Care Operations

·         Collaborate with subject matter experts to analyze workflows and develop application design 

·         Create functional/technical specifications for system build and complex integrated systems

·         Complete the review and analysis of system problems to identify solutions and/or make appropriate referrals

Provide Education

·         Mentor/educate users across the organization in one-on-one or in small group sessions

·         Mentor/educate team members

HealthCare System Improvement

·         Plan and coordinate multiple implementations within and across teams  

·         Configure and customize applications 

·         Review the application build for efficiency, completeness, and correctness 

·         Oversee unit and integrated testing 

·         Develop technical design and procedures for new or revised applications

·         Completes the review and analysis of system problems to identify solutions and/or make appropriate referrals.

·         Demonstrate features to the user community and assess applicability, impact, and value 

·         Develop and maintain detailed project plans associated with system development, deployment, and ongoing support

·         Identify business system solution requirements by analyzing work processes and operations; evaluate business and information systems functionality 

Compliance with Internal Policies and External Regulations for Safe and Effective Care Delivery and Health Profession Education

·         Guide staff in documenting system procedures and guidelines for users, as well as programs and program modifications

·         Understand and adhere to Change Management policies and procedures   

·         Understand and adhere to IT Security policies and procedures

Human Resource Management

·         Provide administrative and functional supervision over assigned staff

Financial Management

·         As appropriate to specific role, develop and conduct financial management programs and/or services

Support and Maintenance

·         Completion of related Epic Certifications/accreditations or eligible to obtain and maintain relevant Epic certifications/accreditations specific to your role

·         Guide development and maintenance of testing scripts for execution during special updates and system upgrade cycles.

·         Resolve complex system problems through participation in 24 x 7 on-call rotations 

·         Develop standards for documentation to ensure recovery capability, as well as satisfactory and stable performance of the platform(s) and all applications and processes

·         Lead staff in development and maintenance downtime workflows and procedures

·         Travel to customer sites as needed to support application implementation, upgrade, optimization and/or training/conferences 

Pay Grade: 6B https://hr.uiowa.edu/pay/pay-plans/professional-and-scientific-pay-structure 

The University of Iowa offers a generous benefits package, including 24 days of paid vacation per year to start and paid sick leave. Complete information regarding the full benefits package may be viewed at https://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits.

Percent of Time: 100%25

Staff Type: Professional and Scientific

Type of Position: Regular

Education Requirements

·         Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy degree

·         Licensure as a Pharmacist by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy is required by start date

Experience Requirements

·        Experience in the development and/or support of applications used by non-technical customers to support and enhance workflow processes, typically 3-5 years of experience. 

·       Experience contributing to an integrated information system implementation cycle through areas such as design, workflow analysis, building, training, implementation, testing and support

·        Experience working with application owners and/or vendors to define system requirements, integration requirements and understanding business needs

·         Demonstrated experience working with end-users to define system requirements, understand business needs and convert business requirements into functional/technical specifications for complex integrated systems build

·         Demonstrated knowledge of and experience managing large scale projects across integrated systems 

·         Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with technical and non-technical staff 

·         Professional job-related experience fostering or promoting a welcoming and respectful work/academic environment.

Desired Qualifications

·         Completion of an ASHP-accredited pharmacy practice residency or 2 years’ experience in a complex multi-disciplinary healthcare environment; pediatric or adult pharmacy practice

·         Experience as an IT or clinical resource with any of the following workflows: ambulatory or inpatient nursing, ambulatory, or inpatient physician, pediatric or adult oncology

·         Epic certification/accreditation related but not limited to the following: EpicCare Ambulatory, EpicCare Inpatient, EpicCare Procedure Orders, Willow, Beacon Oncology or Research Clinical

·         Demonstrated ability using tools for customizing vendor application software 

·         Demonstrated knowledge of integrated system software solutions

·         Experience collaborating with technical and non-technical resources on system implementation projects

·         Strong problem-solving skills and experience adhering to regulatory requirements with respect to system configuration 

·         Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with basic project management

·         Proven ability to write application test scripts

To be considered, applicants must upload a resume (under submission relevant materials) that clearly addresses how they meet the listed required and desired qualifications of this position. A cover letter is desired as part of the application process. Job openings are posted for a minimum of 7 calendar days. This job may be removed from posting and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended. 

Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification. 

This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization. 

For additional questions contact Denise Grafft at denise-grafft@uiowa.edu.