Saint Vincent Hospital

Fellowship Overview

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 two-year post-doctoral Fellowship Program in Medication Safety.

The Medication Safety Pharmacy Fellowship was first started at Saint Vincent Hospital (SVH) in 2007. Eligible candidates would be individuals who have successfully completed a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from an accredited School of Pharmacy and are driven in pursuing a career in academia or institutional pharmacy practice. Completion of a pharmacy practice residency is highly advantageous. The goal of the fellowship program is to train the participant to be a clinical researcher and educator in the area of medication safety. This fellowship program is two years in duration in which the fellow is expected to contribute to patient safety and optimize outcomes by collaborating with physicians, nurses, and pharmacists to ensure compliance with The Joint Commission standards/core measures, decrease medication misadventuring (medication errors and adverse drug reactions) by conducting prospective and retrospective analyses, and targeting high-risk medications including anticoagulants.

This fellowship is offered in partnership with the MCPHS School of Pharmacy‐Worcester/Manchester. Fellowship programs at MCPHS‐Worcester/Manchester are established to provide high-quality, post-graduate educational opportunities for motivated individuals seeking advanced exposure to academics in addition to daily immersion in the biopharmaceutical industry. Rapid growth and interest in perpetuating the MCPHS fellowship programs requires special care to ensure quality, strength, and continued development. The University is committed to providing the fellow with distinctive teaching and educational experiences in a college setting and the opportunity to expand the depth and scope of their pharmacy related research skills. Activities at MCPHS‐Worcester/Manchester balance the fellowship by providing the fellow with a research experience from an academic perspective. Faculty, affiliated with SVH, will precept and mentor the fellow throughout the two years. This will be done in collaboration with the SVH pharmacy director and staff.

The fellow's primary responsibility is promoting medication safety through opportunities that allow evaluation of practices and protocol development. The fellow will co-chair the Medication Safety Committee and work with members to identify and report adverse drug reactions and medication errors as well as make recommendations to overt future errors and drug reactions. Such recommendations will be achieved by conducting Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) and will be implemented in the form of educational sessions, protocol development, process/system modifications, and formulary changes. The fellow will also be a member of the Patient Safety committee and will participate in patient safety rounds.

The fellow will gain experience in study protocol development including methodological and statistical design, budget preparation, and institutional review board submission. The fellow will enroll patients and conduct drug utilization evaluations to identify areas requiring corrective feedback to insure patient safety. Research projects will be presented at national meetings and/or regional meetings. The fellow will also be involved in writing incisive manuscripts to be submitted to peer-reviewed pharmacy and/or medical journals.

The fellow's experience will not be limited to research and grantsmanship, but his/her role will expand to include teaching directed to the medical staff at SVH. This will be accomplished through conducting noon conferences for medical residents, in-services for house staff, and answering drug information requests. The fellow will also participate in selected courses at MCPHS‐Worcester/Manchester and will assist in precepting pharmacy students in their intermediate and advanced clerkship rotations.

In addition to research and teaching, the fellow will be responsible for providing pharmaceutical care, on a limited basis, through medical rounds or decentralized drug delivery at SVH. Innovative questions that transpire during patient care rounds usually promote academic discussions not only within the institution, but also at professional meetings. The intent will be to use these discussions as a vehicle to identify potential research questions as well as develop and implement large-scale educational programs that are geared toward pharmacists, physicians, and nurses. This process will provide synergy in the areas of scholarship, practice, and teaching.

Compensation

The fellow will receive a competitive stipend along with health and dental benefits.

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 research, institutional pharmacy practice, or academia. Completion of a pharmacy practice residency is highly desirable but not required.

Program Application Information

Interested individuals must apply on-line at the MCPHS job site once positions are posted between December and January. Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three references.