Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Medication Safety

Location:

Chicago, Illinois

Business Unit:
Rush Medical Center

Hospital:
Rush University Medical Center

Department:
Pharmacy

Work Type:
Full Time (Total FTE between 0.9 and 1.0)

Shift: Shift 1

Work Schedule:

8 Hr (8:00:00 AM - 4:30:00 PM)

Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits learn more at our Rush benefits page (https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).).

Pay Range: $62.92 - $94.37 per hour

Rush salaries are determined by many factors including, but not limited to, education, job-related experience and skills, as well as internal equity and industry specific market data. The pay range for each role reflects Rush’s anticipated wage or salary reasonably expected to be offered for the position. Offers may vary depending on the circumstances of each case.

The Medication Safety Specialist serves as a frontline medication safety resource within Rush's Center for Medication Policy Assessment and Strategy (COMPAS), supporting the Medication Safety Officer (MSO) in advancing the safe use of medications across Rush University System for Health. This position focuses on surveillance, review, and analysis of medication events, near misses, and adverse drug reactions; participation in error investigations;

and support of safety improvement initiatives at the direction of the Medication Safety Officer, who retains responsibility for programmatic oversight and system-wide safety trending. The specialist collaborates with pharmacy operations, nursing, medical staff, informatics, and Risk Management/Patient Safety to identify system vulnerabilities that contribute to medication errors and drive sustainable safety improvements. Through the application of process improvement methodologies, change management strategies, and technology optimization, the specialist leads initiatives involving high-alert medications, smart infusion pumps, CPOE order sets, clinical decision support, and other medication-use technologies to reduce risk and improve patient outcomes.

The individual must demonstrate strong analytical skills, sound clinical judgment, attention to detail, and excellent written and verbal communication while applying principles of process improvement, change management, and high reliability to advance medication safety and operational excellence. The individual is expected to exemplify the Rush mission, vision, and values.

• Collects, reviews, and trends medication event, near-miss, and adverse drug reaction (ADR) data to identify patterns and priority areas for improvement, and reports findings to the appropriate stakeholders and committees.
• Supports and actively participates in apparent cause analysis, root cause analysis (RCA), and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) for medication-related events under the direction of the Medication Safety Officer.
• Conducts routine surveillance and audits including but not limited to: high-alert medications, sound-alike/sound-alike drugs (SALAD), and error-prone processes; recommends and helps implement risk-reduction strategies.
• Monitors and helps maintain smart infusion pump drug libraries, CPOE order sets, and clinical decision support alerts for safety and effectiveness in Epic, escalating gaps or concerns to informatics and the Medication Safety Officer.
• Assists with the development, review, and revision standards across the continuum of care (inpatient, ambulatory, specialty, and outpatient pharmacy settings) including but not limited to medication-use policies, procedures, and guidelines to align with ISMP, ASHP, USP (795/797/800), The Joint Commission, and other applicable regulatory and accreditation standards.
• Partners with pharmacy leaders, nursing, medical staff, and Risk Management/Patient Safety on medication safety…