Clinical Pharmacist-Antimicrobial and Diagnostic Stewardship (ADSP), Full-time Days

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

The Antimicrobial and Diagnostic Stewardship clinical pharmacist is focused on ensuring the optimal use of antimicrobials throughout Northwestern Medicine. This clinician will help build upon a well-established ADSP that aims to mitigate unnecessary and inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing via stewardship outreach and collaboration throughout our hospital as well as the optimal deployment and utilization of diagnostic tests related to antimicrobials. Shared duties and responsibilities will be to ensure compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards issued by The Joint Commission (TJC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guided by components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs. Other tasks include but are not limited to the development and implementation of stewardship guidelines, staff education, antimicrobial use pathways, formulary restrictions, hospital antibiograms, and the NM ADSP website (adsp.nm.org). Additional responsibilities include supporting the infectious diseases consultation services and coordinating with stewardship activities within the Northwestern Medicine System.

Scheduling:

• This opportunity is anticipated to provide ADSP pharmacist support to both Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, located in DeKalb, IL and also Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital, located in Sandwich, IL.

Responsibilities:

• Contributes to the following duties:
  • Maintain documentation of TJC/CMS performance measures to ensure compliance.
  • Identify and implement:
    1. Education strategies to improve antimicrobial use across the hospital, promote ADSP initiatives and mission with valued stakeholders.
    2. Priority interventions (e.g., prospective audit and feedback, preauthorization, hospital-specific treatment recommendations).
    3. Tracking of antimicrobial use for monitoring and benchmarking (e.g., impact of interventions, prescribing habits, antimicrobial resistance patterns).
    4. Reporting antimicrobial use and resistance patterns (e.g., EDW, NHSN).
    5. Organization-approved policies and procedures (e.g., annual antibiograms, treatment and prevention pathways, influenza/COVID-19 action planning, oversight of NM ASP Website).
    6. Optimal diagnostic testing to facilitate rapid optimization of antimicrobial therapy, improve patient outcomes and shorten length of stay.
• Supports existing goals and projects while seeking new opportunities to improve the ADSP.
• Coordinates with essential hospital departments and Northwestern Medicine System partners to sustain expansion and awareness of the ADSP (e.g., clinicians, infection control, microbiology, nursing, department/program heads, quality improvement & patient safety, information technology).
• Participates in the System Pharmacy and Therapeutics ADSP Subcommittee.
• Precepts clinical trainees (ID PGY-2 pharmacy resident, PGY-1 pharmacy residents, ID fellows, pharmacy students, medical residents).
• Rounds with ID consult service and evaluates patient pharmacotherapy for appropriateness of drug selection, dosage, dosage form, route, and duration, considering individual patient characteristics and clinical status.
• Triages non-formulary requests for antimicrobial therapies and manage the antimicrobial drug formulary.
• Reports adverse drug events (ADEs) in Northwestern Memorial’s confidential reporting system and collaborates with departmental and medication safety leadership to ensure continuous improvements in antimicrobial medication safety.
• Leads and participates in collaborative research projects.

Required:

• Current license to practice pharmacy in the State of Illinois
• Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree

Preferred:

• Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency program or at least 3 years of pharmacy practice experience with an Antimicrobial Stewardship/Infectious Diseases focus.            OR
• Completion of an ASHP-accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency in Infectious Disease and/or Infectious Disease-focused fellowship AND
• Currently holds at least one of the following: Board Certification in Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy OR Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy with Added-Qualification in Infectious Diseases

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

If we offer you a job, we will perform a background check that includes a review of any criminal convictions. A conviction does not disqualify you from employment at Northwestern Medicine. We consider this on a case-by-case basis and follow all state and federal guidelines.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.