Saint Vincent Hospital Pharmacy Fellowship in Medication Safety
Worcester
Saint Vincent Hospital (SVH), in collaboration with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) School of Pharmacy in Worcester, is pleased to offer a one-year post-doctoral fellowship program in Medication Safety.
Fellowship Overview
The goal of the fellowship program is to train the participant to be a clinical educator and researcher in the area of medication safety. The fellowship is one year in duration in which the fellow is expected to contribute to patient safety and optimize outcomes. This will be accomplished by collaborating with physicians, nurses and pharmacists to ensure compliance with The Joint Commission standards/core measures and by decreasing medication misadventuring by targeting four core measure areas (acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, community acquired pneumonia and stroke) and high risk medications including anticoagulants.
The fellow’s primary responsibility is ensuring medication safety in the four areas of The Joint Commission core measures and other areas that require corrective action. The fellow will co-chair the Medication Safety Committee and work with members to report adverse drug reactions and medication errors and make recommendations to avoid future errors and drug reactions. Such recommendations will be carried out in the form of educational sessions, protocol development, and formulary changes.
The fellow will also be an active member of the Saint Vincent Hospital Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) Committee and the Stroke Team. P&T activities will include formulary evaluations, medication misadventuring reporting and protocol development. Stroke Team activities will involve providing pharmaceutical care on daily patient care rounds.
The fellow will gain experience in study protocol development including methodological design and institutional review board submission. The fellow will conduct drug utilization evaluations to identify areas requiring corrective action to ensure patient safety. Research projects will be presented at national and/or regional meetings of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. The fellow will also be involved in writing manuscripts to be submitted to peer-reviewed pharmacy and/or medical journals.
The fellow’s experience will also include teaching directed to the medical staff at SVH. This will be accomplished by conducting noon conferences for medical residents, inservices for house staff, and answering drug information requests. The fellow will also participate in selected courses (including an elective in medication safety) at MCPHS and will assist in precepting pharmacy students in their intermediate and advanced elective clinical rotations.
Eligibility
Eligible candidates include those who have successfully completed a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited school of pharmacy and are highly motivated in pursuing a career in institutional pharmacy practice, academia or pharmaceutical industry. Completion of a pharmacy practice residency is highly desirable but not required.
Compensation
The fellow will receive a competitive stipend along with health and dental benefits. Attendance at one or more national pharmacy conferences will be supported by the institution.
Application
Please e-mail your curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, and a letter of intent to Kristin Tuiskula, PharmD by December 31, 2007.