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Application Specialist, Pharmacy

Application Specialist, Pharmacy

University Health NetworkToronto, ON
30+ days ago
Salary
CA$92,820.00–CA$116,025.00 yearly
Job description

Application Specialist, Pharmacy

Job Posting # : 924616

Site : Toronto General Hospital

Department : UHN Digital

Reports to : Manager, Pharmacy Clinical Informatics

Hours : 37.5 hours per week

Salary : $92,820 - $116,025 annually or hourly or wording : To commensurate with experience and consistent with UHN compensation policy

Status : Permanent Full-Time

Posted Date : September 26, 2023

Closing Date : Until Filled

The University Health Network, where "above all else the needs of patients come first", encompasses Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Michener Institute of Education. The breadth of research, the complexity of the cases treated, and the magnitude of its educational enterprise has made UHN a national and international resource for patient care, research and education. With a long tradition of ground breaking firsts and a purpose of "Transforming lives and communities through excellence in care, discovery and learning", the University Health Network (UHN), Canada's largest research teaching hospital, brings together over 16,000 employees, more than 1,200 physicians, 8,000+ students, and many volunteers. UHN is a caring, creative place where amazing people are amazing the world.

Position Summary

UHN Digital is one of the largest public sector health-care information management and information technology (IM / IT) service delivery organizations in Canada. As department of University Health Network (UHN), UHN Digital, is committed to its vision of transforming health-care delivery by improving the patient experience, addressing issues facing coordination of care and enhancing customer service and quality through outstanding project management and operational support.

The Application Specialist, Pharmacy is an integral member of the Digital Software Services (DSS) team. This position works closely with other members of the DSS team to support identified applications for University Health Network (UHN) including both clinical and business applications. The Application Specialist, Pharmacy will use their clinical pharmacy, computer science and / or technical skills to support the Epic Health Information System (HIS) and other pharmacy applications, overseeing Pharmacy workflows and build. The Specialist will work closely with clinical and other teams to gather and analyze information and specifications regarding clinical practices / workflows and business processes; configure the system based on decisions; test the system at various stages; develop and document policies and procedures that will support use of the system; and act as a liaison between end users, Epic and third-party vendors to ensure clear communication and understanding of requirements. Additionally, the specialist will act in supervisory capacity for the electronic drug distribution system to ensure safe and accurate medication order processing, verification, dispensing and administration.

The specialist will participate in support activities, system and business analysis, system upgrades and testing. The energy, enthusiasm, and dedication of this individual will allow the Digital Software Services team to contribute to the successes of the organization.

This description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not intended to determine specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Essential functions may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.

Duties

Application Support and Management :

  • Maintains expert knowledge of supported applications.
  • Provide day-to-day support, including resolution of complex and escalated issues.
  • Assist end users to resolve application-related problems.
  • Facilitate the development and maintenance of in-house projects, training programs, manuals, and documentation.
  • Periodic assignment to projects e.g. new application implementation or integration.

Testing and Development :

  • Perform / coordinate various testing types (user acceptance, application, performance, stress, regression, and integration) for new releases and changes.
  • Participate in the design, development, testing, validation, and maintenance of Pharmacy systems and related upstream and downstream systems.
  • Responsible for implementing applicable required operational practices and complying with the medication management standards of Accreditation Canada and the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
  • Leads current and future state system analysis and flow.

    • System Maintenance and Data Monitoring :

  • Maintain servers and databases for supported systems as appropriate.
  • Responsible for system quality control and quality assurance.
  • Utilize expert knowledge of applications and query language to generate queries and reports for data monitoring by management and clinical staff.
  • Monitors and maintains security access of supported applications.
  • Monitors and clears error logs and resolves root causes.

    • Data Analytics and Reporting :

  • Work closely with stakeholders, subject matter experts, and end-users to understand the requirements, and analyze the needs of data consumers.
  • Identify and develop the appropriate technological solutions for various data needs.
  • Build extract (in SQL) using Epic's Reporting databases - Clarity and Caboodle.

    • Collaboration and Communication :

  • Assist with system workflow issues and guides the implementation of requested changes.
  • Collaborate with Manager, Team Leads, and co-workers to ensure exceptional customer service.
  • Resolve process and system issues with all levels of management to ensure efficient operation.
  • Communicate with external software vendors to maintain ongoing business and functional requirements.
  • Prepares project status reports as required.
  • Provides customer service in the form of end user meetings (clinical or business). Attend and / or facilitate monthly established end user meetings or ad hoc meetings.

    • Documentation and Training :

  • Contribute to the development and improvement of policies and procedures.
  • Create training materials and other documents to enhance application support.
  • Provide end-user training and attend / facilitate established end-user meetings.

    • Technical Support and Documentation :

  • Document system problems and resolutions for future reference.
  • Maintain technical and procedural documentation, including diagrams.
  • Exercise ITIL Change Management principles / techniques.
  • Participation in organizing and conducting weekly team meetings and huddles.
  • Participate in an on-call roster for support coverage.

    • Qualifications

  • Completion of a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy or recognized equivalent required.
  • Certification in one or more of the following Epic applications is strongly preferred : Willow Inpatient, Willow Inventory, Cogito BI Developer (Epic Cogito Fundamentals, Clarity Data model, Caboodle Data model, Clinical and / or revenue / access data model). Other Epic certifications welcome.
  • Graduate Degree in Clinical / Health Informatics / Technology / Business preferred.
  • A minimum of 4 years of practical and related experience, and 1 year of on-the-job training
  • Experience with Closed Loop Medication Safety Management systems - e.g. clinical processes, nomenclature etc
  • Experience with one or more clinical / business applications in a large healthcare organization
  • Experience in a health-care environment - understanding of clinical / pharmacy workflows and terminology preferred
  • At minimum 2 years experience as a practicing hospital pharmacist
  • Knowledge and understanding of HL7 Interfaces strongly
  • Proficiency and demonstrated experience with analytics tools
  • Proven understanding of how clinical requirements can translate into a technical solution
  • Previous project / systems implementation experience
  • The ability to lead meetings, prioritize, resolve conflicts, maintain issues lists, and manage a project plan
  • Demonstrated success in leading change and utilizing change management frameworks and tools
  • The ability to probe for information about the underlying needs of the organization and user community, which directly influences how the system will be built
  • Knowledge and understanding of relational databases, management and schemes
  • Advanced skills using software tools such as Visio, Microsoft Project, Excel, Word and SharePoint and other tools as necessary.
  • Familiarity with PHIPA and PIPEDA legislation and translation into practice
  • Understanding of key ICT concepts and components (e.g. networks, storage devices, OS, information retrieval, data warehousing, applications, firewalls etc.) and their inter-relationships

    • Professional Affiliations / Memberships :

  • Licensed with the Ontario College of Pharmacists, Part A. required.
  • Certified Associate in Project Management or Project Management Professional certification would be considered an asset

    • Why join UHN?

    In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

  • Competitive offer packages
  • Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https : / / hoopp.com / )
  • Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
  • A flexible work environment
  • Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
  • Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including : travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

    • Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.

    Vaccines (COVID and others) are a requirement of the job unless you have an exemption on a medical ground pursuant to the Ontario Human Rights Code.

    UHN is a respectful, caring, and inclusive workplace. We are committed to championing accessibility, diversity and equal opportunity. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known in advance. Any information received related to an accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

    University Health Network thanks all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.