Position overview

The Pharmacy sits within the Division of Medical Services (EDMS) which includes the Physician Training Office, Medical Officer Support, Credentialing, Employment and Training Unit (MOSCETU), GP Liaison Unit (GPLU), Pathology, Pharmacy, Medical Imaging and Library Services. The Canberra Health Services (CHS) Pharmacy Department have a dynamic, talented team of approximately 100 staff, including: pharmacists, technicians, couriers and administration staff. The department provides a range of clinical services to inpatients and outpatients including several specialised services.

Canberra Hospital is the only paediatric tertiary teaching hospital for the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding NSW region, serving a population of over half a million. The Division of Women, Youth & Children provides a broad range of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services. The paediatric services, co-located within the Centenary Hospital for Women, Youth & Children, can cater for inpatients, has an active medical and surgical day stay and clinical investigation unit, paediatric HITH services and a busy and growing outpatient department. There is a tertiary accredited Level 6 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and the hospital also offers subspecialty paediatric care in areas of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes and Paediatric Surgery. The Paediatric Surgical Unit performs a wide range of paediatric and neonatal surgery. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Canberra Hospital provides tertiary level obstetrics and gynaecological services to the ACT and surrounding regions. The Centenary Hospital for Women and Children has more than 3,700 births per year and is a level 6 referral centre for high-risk pregnancies for the region.

The position holder will integrate into the CHS Pharmacy team and will provide a range of pharmacy services on a rostered basis as a shift worker. The Lead Pharmacist will work in collaboration with nursing, medical and other health professionals within the organisation to promote safe and quality use of medicines within the Division of Women, Youth & Children.

Key Responsibilities

The responsibility of this position is to provide clinical leadership, management, and coordination of the clinical pharmacy services to the Division of Women, Youth & Children within Canberra Health Services based at Canberra Hospital Pharmacy. This position will also include advanced clinical, education, research and quality improvement roles, and provide strategic input into the enhancement of pharmacy services within the division.  This will be done in alignment with the Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) Standards of Practice for the specialty areas within the Division of Women, Youth & Children and the Standards of practice for Clinical Pharmacy Services.

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

1. Lead, coordinate and manage the provision of clinical pharmacy services across the Division of Women, Youth & Children.
2. Provide advanced level clinical pharmacy services to a relevant specialty area within the Division of Women, Youth & Children whilst maintaining clinical pharmacy skills in other generalist areas.
3. Provide professional supervision, education & training, ongoing professional development and supporting performance reviews for other pharmacists, students, technical and other support staff working within the Women, Youth & Children pharmacy team. This includes mentoring of extended scope practitioners and directly line managing a team of pharmacists.
4. Represent the pharmacy department through professional leadership to facilitate effective service provision and ensure safe and effective use of medicines, including reporting and monitoring key performance indicators within the team. This includes acting as a subject matter expert on the use and application of electronic medication systems within the division.
5. Develop and lead on practice-based research, medication safety initiatives, accreditation activities, policy and procedure review, strategic planning and service review, and quality improvement projects relevant to the area of practice in coordination with the Quality Use of Medicines Team and Pharmacy Management Team.
6. Provide a range of pharmacy services on weekends, public holidays and after hours as rostered, including participating in an On-Call roster and working across hospital sites as necessary.
7. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

The competencies defined within the National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia¹ describes 5 Domains. The competency level required within these domains for this role is at the advanced practice level.

Domain 1: Professionalism and ethics
To comply with legislative standards, including a legal responsibility to work within their competence, and commit to life-long learning and professional development to maintain and build competence. Uphold ethical standards, demonstrate the professional behaviours reasonably expected of a registered health professional and strive to improve quality and safety within the health system. Able to apply expert knowledge and skill, use reasoning and judgement, demonstrate accountability and responsibility, use professional autonomy at an advanced level.

Domain 2: Communication and collaboration
To communicate and work effectively with professional colleagues, patients (which includes carers, guardians and families), other clients as well as members of the general public. Able to work across workplace boundaries, provide expert advice and collaborate effectively at an advanced level.

Domain 3: Medicines management and patient care
Apply their expertise to promote wellness or work in direct consultation with patients or in collaboration with other health professionals to improve health. Including participation in public health and health promotion activities, the assessment of patients to develop a patient-centred medication management plan and the provision of medicines (prescription and non-prescription) and compounded products. Able to demonstrate the ability to assess complex clinical situations and make informed decisions regarding medication management.

Domain 4: Leadership and management
Demonstrate self-leadership as well as their leadership role in sharing a vision for the future and promoting the use of initiative and innovation to respond to change and drive progress. This includes applying management skills to undertake organisational and business planning, including the management of finances, human and other resources, the professional environment and the service delivery arrangements at an advanced level.

Domain 5: Education and research
To contribute to the education of professional colleagues. Including the ability to analyse and synthesise information from medical and pharmaceutical literature, identify and respond to gaps in the evidence-base by conducting research, share research findings and apply evidence in practice at an advanced level.

Reference: 1. National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. 2016.

Qualifications

Essential

• Be registered or eligible for registration as a Pharmacist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• Postgraduate qualifications, such as Clinical Pharmacy, Management, Education, Research, or other relevant field, or experience deemed equivalent.

Desirable

• Membership of a professional organisation linked to the area of specialty.
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience as a hospital pharmacist.
• Experience of working professionally as a registered pharmacist in an Australian hospital environment (or in a country where reciprocal arrangements apply with the Australian Pharmaceutical Council Competency Stream Skills Assessment method).
• Able to demonstrate competency standards at the Consolidation Level of the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework for Australia as a minimum, in a relevant specialty area.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a leadership and management role is highly desirable.
• Research experience and/or publication in peer reviewed journals.
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, and all other related frameworks.

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• Be available for weekend and after-hours work, including on call services.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Demonstrated high level of competence, expertise, skills and ability to apply clinical judgment in the provision of clinical pharmacy services to Women, Youth & Children specialty areas which includes, but is not exclusive to: Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Neonatology (including Neonatal Intensive Care and Special Care Nursery), Paediatric Medicine, Paediatric Surgery and Adolescents.
2. Commitment to and demonstrated expertise in education, mentoring and training, and the ability to impart knowledge and skills to pharmacy staff, students, hospital clinicians, and other stakeholders at an advanced level.
3. Demonstrated experience in the development, evaluation and maintenance of departmental improvement programs, policy and procedures, medication safety initiatives, performance monitoring, research initiatives and accreditation activities.
4. Demonstrated ability to lead and manage a team, demonstrating competency at the consolidation level as a minimum requirement, as defined within the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Framework.
5. Demonstrated high level interpersonal and communication skills, the ability to consult, negotiate and liaise effectively with colleagues in the multidisciplinary setting and with patients, and a commitment to building and maintaining effective working relationships.
6. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, Work Health and Safety and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful, and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.