Week 3
When I applied for my Ambulatory Operations Supervisor position, the job posting gave a fairly broad overview of the role. It included a breakdown of the position’s functions and duties, required qualifications, experiences, and job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies. It provided a general framework of what the job entailed, but it was pretty high-level and didn’t dive into the specifics.
That said, I also had access to an internal job description that offered a bit more detail. This version listed both direct and indirect reports and gave slightly more context around the structure of the role. Even then, it remained somewhat general.
I haven’t officially started the position yet, but as a resident, I had the opportunity to observe the team dynamics and get a sense of the day-to-day responsibilities of the managers currently in similar roles. From that experience, I realized that while the job description offered a decent overview, it didn’t touch on some of the more important aspects—particularly the soft skills needed to be successful in the role. It also didn’t give any real insight into the workload, stressors, or common pain points associated with the position.
Overall, I’d say the job description helped me understand the structural and technical aspects of the job, but not necessarily what it feels like to actually do the job. My firsthand exposure as a resident filled in a lot of those gaps and gave me a more realistic picture of what to expect.
This was the job posting:
This position is responsible for overseeing staff while guiding, enhancing, developing, and implementing programs/initiatives designed to support Ambulatory Oncology and Infusion pharmacy services within OHSU Health. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, employee supervision, education and training of staff, residents, interns and students, program development, quality assessment, process improvement, and compliance with accreditation standards and applicable laws and regulations. This position serves as a clinical role model by staffing their service area(s) in order to maintain their content expertise (~40%). In addition they may be asked to serve as Pharmacist-In-Charge for their specific pharmacy operations when applicable. They will rotate on call responsibilities approximately every 6th week or staff approximately every 6th weekend.
Function/Duties of Position
• Responsible for executing all job duties as outlined in the pharmacist position description.
• Supervision of Staff: Recruits, hires, trains, develops, schedules, and supervises assigned staff. Develops performance standards and conducts performance reviews in accordance with hospital policy.
• Program Design & Development: Contribute to the development of programs, initiatives, facilities and systems for continuous departmental improvement. Develop and monitor dashboards and quality metrics related to pharmacy department and service area(s) goals. Participate in the development and implementation of the Department of Pharmacy’s strategic plan in alignment with the OHSU Health’s mission, vision, and values. Develop policies, procedures and treatment guidelines, and improve electronic health record functionality as needed to enhanced patient care.
• Process Improvement: Establish best practices in service area(s) to improve patient care outcomes. Identify and opportunities for value analysis and resolve unsafe conditions and inefficient work processes. Assist in the management of drug shortages and high cost medications by providing clinical expertise related to utilization and alternative therapies.
• Departmental Interdisciplinary Coordination: Facilitate patient care services in assigned areas by collaborating with all pharmacy department staff and other healthcare team members across OHSU Health. Work with external agencies to facilitate continuity of care.
• Teaching: Oversees the education and training of pharmacy residents, interns, and students. Directs the work of students/residents and monitors and evaluates their performance. This position is expected to participate in education and research related to their service area(s)
Required Qualifications
• BS or PharmD
• PGY1 residency or 2 years of relevant experience
• Proficiency in an area of clinical pharmacy practice
• Professional communication, written, and verbal
• Contemporary Practice of Pharmacy
• Licensed Pharmacist in Oregon
• Compliance with Code of Conduct, Respect in the workplace and Applicable policies, procedures and agreements related to position, department or OHSU as a whole
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation
Preferred Qualifications
• Work history demonstrating involvement in leadership projects
• Publications in peer reviewed journals or presentations at state or national pharmacy conference. Two years of precepting and lecturing experience or ACPE accredited teaching certificate.
• Board Certification or Fellowship in area of clinical pharmacy practice
4 replies on “Job Descriptions”
Jenny,
I feel like I would be overwhelmed by the job description! There is a lot of information and it does seem very general like you mentioned. Props to you for getting the position. It seems like a very important role. Your experience is very different from mine, which I think is very interesting to see. There is not much diversity when it comes to work/class experience. Thank you for your post!
Hi Jenny,
I totally agree with you that this job description is very technical. While it is helpful to understand the more technical aspects of a position, it can still be quite difficult to picture yourself in the role. I think this is a common theme among many job descriptions across various industries. As the assigned article in this week’s learning materials touched on, I agree that applicants would be more interested in applying for certain positions if the job descriptions were written in a more welcoming and easier to understand format.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jenny, wow you weren’t kidding about the job description giving only a broad look at what the job entails. I even read in there where they referred the reader to look at a different job description (I mean, who is really going to do that?). It is a really great opportunity that you were given to observe the dynamics and day-to-day activities of the team to ensure you were able to DO the job, and get a sense of what types of stressors the job might bring as well. This is rarely the case. I did not get a chance to observe the position or the facility before I started and I also was not aware that my position was a newly created position. I did not really have a mentor or trainer, but in some ways it has been good having the ability to bring my own insights into the clinic and lay down the baseline for the position as well. It can sometimes be a difficult task navigating new position without fully understanding so I am glad you were given that opportunity.
Hi Jenny! Thanks so much for the thoughtful post. I think the job description for this position is an excellent example. It is specific and set appropriate expectations. Pharmacists looking for this position will be able to quantify and understand what their role will look like and if their background matches up to what you are looking for.