Clinical Pharmacist at Synapse Resource Center

Core Job Functions

• Dispense prescriptions: This is the "filling, licking and sticking" most people imagine when they conjure a mental image of a pharmacist counting out tablets, preparing a bottle label and handling medications to patients.
• Communicate with prescribers: Any time a prescription order is unclear or potentially harmful for a patient, you need to confirm the dosage and formulation (e.g., liquid or tablet), as well as whether brand name product is required or if you can substitute a generic equivalent.
• Ensure patients' safety: Check each patients’ medication record every time he or she gets a new or refill prescription filled. This is the best way for a pharmacist to prevent potentially dangerous interactions between drugs.
• Counsel patients: This involves more than informing about adverse reactions and interactions with other medications, food, alcohol and other beverages like grapefruit juice. Counselling includes training patients how and when to take doses, following up with patients to see if medications are working, sharing tips on how to minimize side effects while maximizing benefits and listening to all of a patient's concerns.
• Work with patients on general health: Maintaining health requires more than taking prescription medications, Pharmacists can help patients heal and avoid getting sick by sharing advice on using non-prescription remedies, taking health supplements such as vitamins, using herbal and natural health products, exercising and maintaining a good diet.
• Manage staff: Pharmacists have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the “three Rs” of right drug, right patient and right dose. Meeting this responsibility requires overseeing the work of and mentoring student interns, volunteers, and residents.
• Perform administrative tasks: Everyone in a pharmacy has some responsibilities for keeping patient files up to date, making sure needed products are stocked and required reports get generated and filed., you will spend as much or more time on administrative duties as on patient care.
• Educate health provider colleagues: Doctors, nurses and other health care providers about new medications and drug therapy protocols.

Required Qualification and Experience

• A minimum of a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm.). A Master.s Degree would be an added advantage.
• Must have completed NYSC
• Minimum of 3 years' experience
• Experience as a community Pharmacist will be an added advantage
• Strong communication skills
• Excellent relationship management and business development skills
• Proactive problem-solving approach.
• Stress tolerance.
• High level of professionalism.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• Must have excellent interpersonal skill.

Required Qualities:

• Analytical skills: Pharmacists must provide safe medications efficiently. To do this, they must be able to evaluate a patient’s needs, evaluate the prescriber’s orders, and have extensive knowledge about the effects and appropriate circumstances for giving out a specific medication.
• Communication skills: Pharmacists frequently offer advice to patients. They might need to explain how to take a medicine, for example, and what its side effects are. They also need to offer clear direction to pharmacy technicians and interns.
• Computer /IT skills. Pharmacists need computer skills to use any electronic health record (ERP) systems and to keep records of stocks.
• Detail-oriented: Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the prescriptions they fill, because improper use of medication can pose serious health risks. Pharmacists must be able to find the information that they need to make decisions about what medications are appropriate for each patient.
• Managerial skills: Pharmacist, particularly those who run a retail pharmacy - must have good managerial skills, including managing inventory and overseeing a staff.