Clinical Pharmacist - Surgical Services

These roles are responsible for dispensing medications, providing drug therapy consultations, and ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceuticals. Pharmacists collaborate with healthcare providers to optimize patient treatment plans, offer medication counseling, and oversee the preparation and distribution of medications in compliance with legal and regulatory standards.

Bring your clinical judgment, operational expertise, and commitment to medication safety to a surgical pharmacy practice where pharmacists are integral members of the perioperative care team.

Join UVA Health’s collaborative Surgical Services pharmacy team and support patients across the operating room, post-anesthesia care unit, surgical floors, and other perioperative settings. This position offers a distinctive blend of direct clinical practice, fast-paced OR operations, interdisciplinary decision-making, and process improvement, with flexibility to develop deeper expertise in perioperative pharmacy.

The Role

As a Clinical Pharmacist supporting Surgical Services, you will rotate among core surgical pharmacy services, including the OR and clinical services supporting surgical and postoperative patients. Depending on your interests and experience, there may be an opportunity to take on a greater concentration of OR coverage.

You will work closely with pharmacists, pharmacy operations, anesthesiologists, physicians, nurses, and other care team members to promote safe, timely, and effective medication use. The OR environment requires thoughtful prioritization and responsiveness, while the surgical clinical services provide opportunities for meaningful patient-care decisions and interdisciplinary collaboration.

In this role, you will:

• Verify medication orders for the OR, PACU, and surgical patient populations.

• Help open and support the OR satellite pharmacy, with OR coverage beginning at approximately 6:30 a.m.

• Coordinate with anesthesia teams to ensure medications are available when needed.

• Triage complex or high-cost medication requests in partnership with central pharmacy.

• Collaborate with PACU nurses and pharmacy operations on medication distribution, Pyxis workflows, and service needs.

• Provide drug therapy consultation and help optimize medication regimens for surgical, postoperative, and select medicine patients.

• Participate in interdisciplinary discussions with physicians, nurses, academic teams, and other healthcare professionals.

• Contribute to, and broader team goals.

• Help identify opportunities to improve existing processes rather than simply maintaining the status quo.

The schedule is predominantly day shift, Monday through Friday. Standard non-OR shifts are generally 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while OR coverage begins around 6:30 a.m. The position includes approximately every fourth weekend, occasional Friday evening coverage, and scheduled comp days around weekend assignments. Weekend shifts may include 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Why UVA Health

At UVA Health, pharmacists practice within an academic medical center where complex care, interdisciplinary collaboration, education, and innovation come together. Surgical Services pharmacists work alongside accomplished surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, providers, and pharmacy colleagues while influencing medication use across a broad and expanding perioperative environment.

This is an opportunity to build a career, not simply fill a schedule. You will join a team that values curiosity, collaboration, flexibility, and pharmacists who are willing to question existing processes and help create better solutions.

Highlights include:

• A highly collaborative pharmacy practice, with nearby clinical colleagues available for consultation, problem-solving, and shared learning.

• Exposure to both clinical and operational pharmacy practice, including surgical floor services, OR workflows, postoperative care, and orthopedics.

• Opportunities to pursue board certification, precepting, research, and perioperative pharmacy development.

• Meaningful participation in quality improvement, medication-use initiatives, and operational process redesign.

• Opportunities to contribute to Epic optimization, health IT projects, and evolving pharmacy workflows.

• Experience across the broader health system through partnerships with nursing, medical, surgical, anesthesia, and pharmacy operations teams.

• Potential involvement in emerging ambulatory surgery opportunities as perioperative services continue to develop.

• A supportive environment for pharmacists who want to practice at the top of their license and expand their professional impact.

• Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.

Success during your first year will include learning the surgical service lines, building strong interdisciplinary relationships, becoming a trusted pharmacy resource, and beginning professional-development goals aligned with your interests.

Why People Love Living in Charlottesville

Charlottesville offers a compelling balance of professional opportunity and everyday quality of life. Set near the Blue Ridge Mountains, the area provides convenient access to hiking, cycling, parks, vineyards, and scenic outdoor destinations, along with a vibrant local restaurant, arts, and cultural community. Healthcare professionals and families appreciate the region’s welcoming neighborhoods, educational resources, manageable size, and the ability to enjoy both an engaging university community and the natural beauty of Central Virginia.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Bachelor's in Pharmacy or Pharm.D. from an ACPE accredited College of Pharmacy required.

Experience: No experience required. PGY-1 residency or equivalent clinical experience preferred.

Licensure: Virginia State Board of Pharmacy License or within 60 days of hire. American Heart Association (AHA) Health Care Provider BLS certification required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Job requires sitting for prolonged periods; Repetitive motion: typing. Proficient communicative, auditory and visual skills; Attention to detail and ability to write legibly; Ability to lift/push/pull less than 20lbs. May be exposed to fumes, chemicals, blood/body fluids and infectious disease.

The pay range for this role is $64.37 - $89.07 hourly. Individual compensation will be determined by the selected candidate's qualifications, previous work experience, and/or education.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Benefits Package: Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Retirement Savings
• Long-term and Short-term Disability
• Health Saving Plans, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Certification and Education Support

UVA Health is a world-class Magnet Recognized academic medical center and health system with a level 1 trauma center. 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” guide rates UVA Health University Medical Center as “High Performing” in 5 adult specialties and 14 conditions/procedures. We are one of 70 National Cancer Institute designated cancer centers. UVA Health Children’s is named by 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report as the best children's hospital in Virginia with 9 specialties ranked among the best in the nation. Our footprint also encompasses 3 community hospitals and an integrated network of primary and specialty care clinics throughout Charlottesville, Culpeper, Northern Virginia, and beyond.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.