Overview:
Post Title:
Advanced Specialist Pharmacist, Medicines Guide
Location:
Beaumont Hospital & Affiliated Sites
Reports to:
Chief II Pharmacist / Service Manager
Accountable to:
Pharmacist Executive Manager/ Deputy Pharmacist Executive Manager/ Pharmacy Service Manager
Salary:
Appointment will be made on the Advanced Specialist Pharmacist Scale (€82,756 - €94,871, LSI1 €98,003) at a point in line with Government pay policy
Hours of work:
Part time, 24.5 hours
Closing Date:
12.00 Noon on 17/06/2026
Please note the hospital reserves the right to close the competition early should a substantial number of applications be received.
Position Summary:
The Advanced Specialist Pharmacist (ASP) will lead on delivering medicines optimisation and the contribution of pharmacists in the safe, effective and cost effective use of medicines.
The ASP will have responsibility for pharmacy services to defined clinical areas providing a high level of expertise, competence and performance e.g. cancer care, antibiotic stewardship, HIV/AIDS, cardiology, intensive care, transplantation, respiratory disease, children’s health, older person’s care, mental health, medicine and surgery in in-patient, out-patient care and others. They may also work in specialist pharmacy services e.g. medicines information, aseptic compounding, education and training, medication safety, informatics and others.
Act as a professional resource in advising other pharmacists and health care professionals in their area of expertise
Demonstrate professional leadership within their designated specialist area through effective communication with other clinical practitioners, motivation of staff and challenging barriers to change.
Responsibilities:
Key Duties & Responsibilities:
The Advanced Specialist Pharmacist (ASP) practices to a high level of capability across six domains of advanced practice aligned with International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Advanced Level II in the specialist area of practice.
The six domains of advanced practice are defined as follows:
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Expert Professional Knowledge
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Working with Others
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Leadership
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Management
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Education, Training and Development
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Research and Evaluation
Expert Professional Knowledge
Lead and support medicines optimisation as part of a multidisciplinary team within the area of speciality.
Deliver a specialised level of clinical input using advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in the area of specialty, also demonstrating high level of knowledge in other areas so as to take relevant co-morbidities into account when making treatment decisions commensurate with the grade.
Provide specialised medication related advice. This will include individualised advice on medication dosing, drug choice, administration, drug level monitoring and dose adjustment, the use of unlicensed medicines, the use of medicines outside the terms of their product authorisation and advice on the safety and storage of medications.
Provide medicines information and advice to patients and work with patients in order to support adherence to prescribed treatments.
Contribute to the organisation’s wider antimicrobial stewardship programme.
Contribute to pharmaceutical initiatives to ensure the optimisation of patient safety initiatives including those which help with the seamless transfer of patients between different healthcare settings.
Be cognisant of and advise appropriately of regulations (Medicinal Products, Prescription and Control of Supply and Misuse of Drugs Regulations), as applicable to their area of speciality.
Working with Others
Act as a professional resource within their area of specialisation for advising other pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in the organisation.
Liaise with all healthcare staff, patients and carers in all areas of work.
Develop good working relationships and communications with all staff in the specialty multidisciplinary team, providing a link regarding all aspects of pharmacy service and medicines optimisation.
Use available information to ensure the most appropriate and cost-effective choice of therapy.
Leadership
Promote and lead in the development and delivery of best practice standards.
Provide effective clinical leadership to pharmacists assigned to their speciality and by working with other clinical leaders.
Act as a role model to pharmacists, technicians, pharmacy students and all other members of the multidisciplinary team, working as a pharmacist expert in the area of specialty and networking with peers in other organisations.
Provide service development/leadership in their specialist area that aligns with their Chief II Pharmacist/Service Manager’s work plan which in turn aligns with the Departmental work plan which in turn aligns with the hospital goals, objectives, and service direction.
Management
Ensure the safe use of medicines by evaluating and managing risks associated with the use of medicines and by participating in the hospital’s Medicines Safety reporting process.
Ensure the cost-effective use of medicines.
Contribute to formulary development and implementation.
Manage and professionally supervise other pharmacy staff assigned to that area of speciality.
Lead and/ or contribute to the development and implementation of SOPs, guidelines, protocols etc. relevant to their area of speciality.
Continually monitor the service to ensure it reflects current needs.
Optimise the potential of pharmacy resources, skills and knowledge through monitoring and evaluation, underpinned by research and professional development within their area of speciality.
Implement and manage identified changes.
Contribute to the service planning process.
Actively participate in risk management issues, identify risks and take responsibility for appropriate action.
Report and manage any adverse incidents in accordance with organisational guidelines.
Under the direction of their line manager, investigate critical incidents within their designated areas of responsibility and work with the multidisciplinary team to identify and implement preventative and corrective solutions in order to improve patient care.
Be aware of, contribute to, and implement agreed policies, procedures and safe professional practice by adhering to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
Participate in individual performance review.
Maintain records according to local and statutory requirements.
Education, Training and Development
Undertake continuous professional development and develop professional knowledge and competencies.
Identify own training needs and provide evidence of maintaining and updating specialist and general pharmacy knowledge.
Participate in mandatory training programmes.
Develop, support and assist in the training of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students in their area of speciality as appropriate.
Develop and/or deliver teaching sessions for NCHDs, nurses and/ or HSCPs in relation to medication in their area of speciality.
Participate in education and training in an external environment as required by the Pharmacist Executive Manager. This may include having teaching responsibility in universities.
Research and Evaluation
Lead and Contribute to audit and quality improvement initiatives.
Actively promote the implementation of evidence-based practice within the area of speciality and/or organisation.
Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to contribute to research and its application within the area of speciality and/or organisation.
Presentation of research or evaluation findings at research or professional symposium.
General
Have cognisance of HIQA Standards as they apply to the role, for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards, antimicrobial stewardship, medication safety etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards.
Promote a safe working environment in accordance with Health and Safety legislation
To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.
ASPs are expected to work as part of the wider team/department and therefore may be required to cross-cover other areas/specialities as appropriate and as the overall departmental service requires. This may also include being asked to work in areas outside of their normal designated service division (e.g. Clinical ASPs working in Dispensary, Medicines Information etc. and vice versa) as the service requires.
The job description is an outline of the post as it is currently perceived by the hospital and will be subject to review and amendment. This job description will therefore be subject to change in light of the various strategies for the hospital and the development of the Clinical Directorate model and any future developments that arise and will evolve and change over time.
Qualifications:
Selection Criteria:
Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge and/or experience that the successful candidate would need to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post.
Applications will be assessed on the basis of how well candidates satisfy these criteria.
Mandatory:
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Be a registered Pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI), or be entitled to be so registered.
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Possess the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office
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Four years satisfactory post-registration hospital experience with a relevant Level 9 or higher post-graduate qualification
OR -
Five years satisfactory post-registration hospital experience without a relevant post-graduate qualification
Desirable:
- Possess a post graduate Diploma/Masters in Hospital/Clinical Pharmacy or a related healthcare area or in pursuit of same.
Role Specific Requirements
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You will be required to work the agreed roster/on call arrangements advised to you by your line manager. Your contracted hours of work are liable to change between the hours of 08:00 – 20:00 over seven days to meet the requirements for extended day services in accordance with the terms of the Framework Agreement.
If an appointee has previously been employed in the Civil or Public Service and that appointee is entitled to or in receipt of a pension from the Civil or Public Service or where a Civil/ Public Service pension comes into payment during the appointee’s re-employment that pension will be subject to abatement in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and other Provisions) Act 2012.
Please note: In applying for this position you are acknowledging that you understand that the abatement provisions, where relevant, will apply. It is not envisaged that the employing Department/ Office/ Body will support an application for an abatement waiver in respect of appointments to this position.
Supplementary information:
The Hospital
www.beaumont.ie
Management Unit:
www.beaumont.ie/hr
Informal Enquiries ONLY to: (Please note NO APPLICATIONS will be accepted via the Informal Email)
Name:
Sally Taylor or Louisa Conlon
A short listing exercise may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your application. The criteria for ranking and or short listing are based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the eligibility criteria and skills, competencies and/or knowledge section of this job specification. In the event of a high volume of applications additional shortlisting criteria may be utilised.
