Medication Historian

Connecticut Children's; Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Connecticut Children's is seeking a Medication Historian to facilitate medication reconciliation between the Pharmacy and Emergency Department. You will gather comprehensive medication histories from patients before their admission, ensuring accurate documentation in electronic health records.

The ideal candidate will have a High School Diploma and at least one year of pharmacy experience. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential for interacting with patients and the healthcare team. A Connecticut pharmacy technician license is preferred.

Qualifications

• One year of work experience within a retail or hospital pharmacy.
• Preferred certification in medication history through PTCB.
• Active Connecticut pharmacy technician license registration in good standing.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates between pharmacy and emergency department teams for medication reconciliation.
• Documents patient medication information in electronic health records.
• Communicates discrepancies in medication with the care team.

Skills

Advanced verbal and written communication skills

Ability to triage and prioritize work

Excellent interpersonal skills

Education

High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent

Tools

Electronic health record systems

Job description

The Medication Historian (MH) collaborates between the Pharmacy and Emergency Department teams to provide medication reconciliation services to patients pending admission to a floor within the facility. The MH’s responsibility is to accurately obtain a comprehensive list of medications and other relevant information patients are taking prior to presentation, including but not limited to:

• Prescribed, over‑the‑counter, herbal, and/or illicit medications
  • Dosage
  • Frequency and typical administration time of medications when relevant
  • Last dose of medication
  • Recent changes to medications prior to admission
  • Pertinent labs for medications when required (e.g., most recent INR, lithium level)
• Allergies and/or reactions to medications

All information gathered must be accurately documented within the patient’s electronic health record to guide treatment while they are admitted. This information is obtained through interviews with patients, caregivers, outpatient prescriber offices, retail pharmacies, and other relevant sources.

Responsibilities

Interpersonal Skills

• Provides compassion and a welcoming experience to patients and their families during the stresses of hospital admission.
• Communicates openly and effectively with members of the integrated care team (nursing, providers, pharmacists, patients, and/or their families) to ensure continuity of patient care upon admission.
• Ensures high quality customer service for all members of a patient’s integrated care team.
• Triage and directs requests outside the scope of a pharmacy technician to the responsible party when appropriate.
• Maintains professionalism within all interactions with the integrated care team.

Regulatory / Record Compliance

• Clearly communicate discrepancies identified via the medication reconciliation process with medications, allergies, or other clinical information to nurses, providers, and/or pharmacists for resolution.
• Participates in quality assurance activities to support patient care within the facility.
• Accurately document required information into the electronic health record efficiently and timely to support seamless patient care.
• Maintain other pertinent operational records not listed as required by department, state, or federal policies and/or guidelines.

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent.
• Experience: One year of work experience within a retail or hospital pharmacy.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Ability to triage, prioritize, and complete work in a timely manner.
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills and the ability to present information effectively to care team members and patients.
• Foster a cooperative work environment.
• Develop, plan, and implement short‑ and long‑term goals.
• Help create change within the department to reach organizational goals.
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills to patients and team members.
• License and/or Certification: Preferred – medication history certification through PTCB, active Connecticut pharmacy technician license registration in good standing.