Narcotics Pharmacist

Job Description

Carries out specified duties with competence and due diligence. Support the procurement, storage, supplies and monitoring/recording of Narcotics, Controlled drugs, and other drugs with different degrees of potential for abuse or misuse.

Responsibilities

• Participates in the departmental Quality Improvement (QI) Program.
• Participates in departmental motivational programs to enhance patient/customer relations.
• Reviews physician’s orders and prescriptions to ensure the appropriateness of drug therapy.
• Inputs physician’s medication orders into Pharmacy Patient Medication Profile and maintains this profile and related records.
• Monitors patient medication profiles to prevent drug interactions and allergic and adverse drug reactions.
• Provides drug information and communicates with prescribers, nurses and other staff regarding drug therapy or safe drug handling.
• Supervises Outpatient and Inpatient Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and other support staff in the performance of assigned duties.
• Provides leadership qualities, proper scheduling, and daily staffing.
• Maintains a high level of extemporaneous compounding by utilizing up-to-date references and procedures.
• Clarifies any physician’s medication order with the physician and transcribes the physician’s telephoned orders onto the physician’s order sheet for Countersigning by the physician.
• Conducts quality improvement tasks in conjunction with other staff members.
• Communicates the current guidelines or any updated guidelines with Physicians, Nurses, and Pharmacists.
• Communicates with Dubai Health Authority and Ministry of Health regarding control of drugs and narcotics.
• Sends yearly quota requests to the Ministry of Health for narcotics drugs, according to yearly consumption of narcotics drugs in American Hospital Dubai.
• Oversees the exchange of narcotics drugs with the Dubai Health Authority and the Ministry of Health.
• Oversees and exchanges narcotics prescriptions, controls drugs prescription pads, and registers for control and narcotics medicines from Dubai Health Authority.
• Performs tracking of records for control and narcotics prescription pads in American Hospital Dubai.
• Performs monthly orientation of all newly hired clinicians for control and narcotics drug handling.
• Sends monthly control drugs and narcotics usage reports to the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority.
• Documents all receiving of control drugs and narcotics in the Control medication log register and Narcotics log register.
• Forecasts Quota for narcotics drugs for each ward.
• Performs monthly audits in all areas where control drugs and narcotics are stored.
• Responsible for training other pharmacy staff for usage and handling of control and narcotics drugs.
• Complies with storing guidelines as per the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority for all control drugs and narcotics storage areas.
• Maintains adequate stock levels of Narcotic/controlled medications.
• Maintains proper records of all scheduled medications as per the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority
• Compiles all Narcotic/Controlled drug records up to date for the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority inspections.
• Follows the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority rules and regulations to keep the American Hospital Dubais best standard of care.
• Performs patient teaching functions on appropriate use of medications.
• Monitors and oversees that the Pharmacy is kept in a neat, clean, and orderly fashion.
• Performs quality control checks and proper inventory and expiry control of narcotics /controlled drugs pharmacy and wards stocks by departmental procedures.
• Prepares and supervises the preparation of extemporaneously compounded medications, including products requiring aseptic techniques.
• Conducts orientation, training, and educational programs for new staff.
• Gathers and analyses data for selected drug utilization reviews.
• Performs all duties in a professional, effective, and confidential manner.
• Performs all other duties as required or assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy
• Current active home country registration
• Dubai Health Authority (DHA) License

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in Pharmacy practice with three (3) years as a Team leader.
• Knowledge of actions, side effects, adverse effects, and appropriate use of commonly employed drugs including narcotics.
• Knowledge of current technology and pharmacy systems for the distribution of medications.
• Knowledge of pharmaceutical and medical terminology abbreviations and symbols.
• Ability to work cohesively in a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage my workload.