Pharmacist - Transition of Care

County of Ventura; Ventura (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Ventura seeks a Transition of Care Pharmacist to optimize medication management across the continuum of care, focusing on admission, transfer, and discharge processes. The role reduces medication errors and readmissions through reconciliation, education, and follow‑up.

Reporting to pharmacy leadership, the TOC Pharmacist provides clinical expertise to physicians, nurses, case management, social work, and outpatient partners.

Qualifications

• Pharmacist degree from an accredited school of pharmacy.
• Minimum of 3 years as hospital inpatient staff pharmacist, or 1 year in clinical pharmacy, or completion of a pharmacy residency.

Responsibilities

• Perform comprehensive medication reconciliation at admission, transfer, and discharge.
• Evaluate therapy for safety, efficacy, and adherence; optimize regimens with providers.
• Review discharge prescriptions for appropriateness and timely processing.
• Coordinate discharge medication services with outpatient pharmacies.

Skills

Clinical pharmacy

Medication management

Discharge planning

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Patient education

Education

Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy

Job description

Position Overview

The Transition of Care (TOC) Pharmacist is responsible for optimizing medication management across the continuum of care, with a primary focus on admission, internal transfer, and discharge processes. This position plays a critical role in reducing medication-related errors, preventing avoidable hospital readmissions, and improving patient outcomes through comprehensive medication reconciliation, discharge medication coordination, patient and caregiver education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and post-discharge follow‑up.

Reporting to pharmacy leadership, the TOC Pharmacist serves as a key clinical resource for physicians, nursing staff, case management, social work, and outpatient pharmacy partners to ensure safe and effective medication transitions across care settings. The incumbent oversees pharmacy technicians assigned to transition of care activities, supports quality improvement initiatives, develops standardized workflows, monitors performance metrics, and promotes regulatory compliance while delivering patient‑centered pharmaceutical care.

Payroll Title: Pharmacist – Specialty Care
Incentives: Eligible for an educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree; bilingual incentive may also be available.

Duties

• Performs comprehensive medication reconciliation during patient admission, transfer, and discharge to identify, resolve, and document medication discrepancies.
• Evaluates medication therapy for appropriateness, safety, efficacy, and adherence barriers, and collaborates with providers to optimize medication regimens.
• Reviews discharge prescriptions to ensure clinical appropriateness, accuracy, and timely processing.
• Coordinates discharge medication services with outpatient pharmacies, including identifying medications requiring prior authorization or special approvals.
• Supports and facilitates bedside medication delivery programs to improve continuity of care.
• Provides individualized medication counseling and education to patients and caregivers regarding medication indications, dosing, administration, side effects, monitoring requirements, adherence strategies, and high‑risk medications.
• Utilizes teach‑back techniques to assess patient understanding and promote medication adherence.
• Conducts post‑discharge follow‑up for high‑risk patients to evaluate medication adherence, identify adverse effects, address medication access barriers, and coordinate care with primary care providers and specialists.
• Documents clinical interventions, medication recommendations, and patient encounters within the electronic health record.
• Identifies patients at high risk for medication‑related complications or hospital readmission and participates in multidisciplinary discharge planning and patient care rounds.
• Monitors, analyzes, and reports medication‑related quality indicators, readmission trends, and performance metrics to support continuous quality improvement initiatives.
• Supports organizational quality measures, including regulatory and accreditation requirements related to medication management and transitions of care.
• Serves as a clinical pharmacy resource for physicians, nurses, case management, social work, outpatient pharmacy staff, and other members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
• Develops, implements, and maintains standardized transition of care workflows, clinical protocols, and best practices.
• Oversees pharmacy technicians assigned to transition of care services, ensuring compliance with departmental procedures, productivity expectations, and quality standards.
• Participates in the development and revision of departmental policies and procedures related to medication transitions and patient safety.
• Promotes cost‑effective, evidence‑based medication therapy while supporting exceptional patient‑centered care.
• Understands the principles and concepts of Performance Improvement. Seeks opportunities and solutions for process improvements and to improve job skills of staff.
• Serves as student program preceptor for colleges of pharmacy for pharmacy practice rotations.
• Performs related duties as required (including staffing).

Typical Qualifications

• Pharmaceutical degree (Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy) from an accredited school of pharmacy or its equivalent plus a minimum of three (3) years of experience as a hospital inpatient staff pharmacist, or
• One (1) year of specialized clinical pharmacy experience, or
• Successful completion of a pharmacy residency program in clinical pharmacy.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Must possess and maintain a current valid license as a Pharmacist in the State of California.
• Previous professional experience in Transition of Care.
• Willing and able to lift up to 25 lbs.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Thorough knowledge of: clinical pharmacy practice principles; pharmacotherapy and medication therapy management; medication reconciliation and transitions of care best practices; patient counseling techniques; medication safety principles; and applicable regulatory standards governing pharmacy practice.

Skilled in: clinical decision‑making; medication therapy evaluation and optimization; patient and caregiver education; effective verbal and written communication; and collaboration with interdisciplinary healthcare teams.

Working ability to: perform comprehensive medication reconciliation and identify medication‑related problems; educate patients and caregivers to promote safe and effective medication use; coordinate medication‑related services across inpatient and outpatient settings; document clinical interventions accurately within the electronic health record; supervise pharmacy technicians; and establish effective working relationships with healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers.

Opening Date: July 9, 2026

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.