Allison Cooper

• Lead, coordinated, managed, and developed a clinical pharmacy service within the Emergency Department.
• Improved patient outcomes by conducting thorough medication reviews and providing appropriate recommendations.
• Collaborated with medical and nursing staff to optimise service delivery and patient safety.
• Enhanced medication safety through implementation and chairing of the ED Medication Safety Committee.
• Optimized inventory management to reduce cost, waste and ensure timely availability of essential medications.
• Assisted in supervision, support and mentoring of interns, Grade 1 and 2 pharmacists.

Key achievements in the role:

• Embraced the role of Dispensary second in-charge, working side by side with the dispensary managers and demonstrating an active willingness to help wherever needed
• Represented the Pharmacy Dispensary on the Medication Safety Working Party Committee

Key expectations of the role:

• Apply expert clinical knowledge and skills within the specific area of practice to provide a specialised pharmacy service
• Clinically review, validate, dispense, compound and check medicines, according to local guidelines and formulary restrictions to ensure timely provision of medication and to facilitate patient flow. Use multiple electronic clinical systems to achieve same
• Manage, monitor and report on medication use within defined practice area to achieve both budget and service delivery targets.
• Contribute to education of JHH staff –pharmacy and other health professionals
• Participate in the development and review of medication related guidelines and publications

In this role, key expectations and responsibilities included:

• Provide pharmacy services including clinical review to patients within the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH).
• Provide clinical expertise and leadership in the provision of Pharmacy Services in ICU (and the broader hospital where required) at the RHH.
• Lead and participate in quality improvement and safety initiatives within ICU.
• Act as a leader and resource person in the field of critical care for pharmacy and provide supervision, training, education and support to pharmacy staff and other disciplines.

Other achievements in the role:

• Medication use guideline - Nimodipine (draft)
• 2021 Pharmacy Interns education sessions
• Contributed to the provision of expanded weekend pharmacy services within the ICU

Key expectations and responsibilities within this role included:

• Provision of pharmacy services within the RHH Emergency Department (ED) and Inpatient Pharmacy Dispensary across extended hours including evening, weekend, and public holiday shifts.
• Collaboration with medical, nursing, and allied health teams within the ED and wider hospital to provide optimised patient care
• Supervision and training of pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy interns and other hospital staff.

Within this role, additional achievements included:

• Credentialed PPMC Pharmacist as part of the Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting (PPMC) program within the RHH Emergency Department.
• Supervision, orientation, and training of new Pharmacists into the Extended Hours and PPMC program within the RHH ED and Dispensary as well as the wider hospital pharmacy service.
• Created the Mental Health Patient Quick Guide - a tool to assist Pharmacists within the ED in how to review mental health patients for those without previous experience within the mental health department.
• Delivered training to nursing staff on the preparation and administration of Metaraminol outside of ED and ICU wards as part of COVID-19 Hospital Preparation

Main achievements within this role include:

• Rotations within: Mental Health department, General Medicine, Dispensary (inpatient and outpatient), and General Surgical Unit
• Update to the process of managing timely medication supply of Clozapine to inpatients
• Presenter: SHPA Tas Branch Symposium. Topic: Patient Handover

Key achievements:

• Fulfilled requirements set out by AHPRA, RHH Pharmacy Department, and the University of Queensland NAPE ITP to be awarded general registration upon the completion of the 12-month internship program
• Hello My Name Is... health promotion project implemented across the entire RHH facility which later saw the RHH Pharmacy Department awarded the 'Spot On' award by the Tasmanian Health Literacy Network
• Presentation to Nursing staff at 2018 Stroke Skills Day. Topic: Medication Safety and appropriate handling and administration of medications for patients with nasogastric tubes or swallowing difficulties.
• Submission of literature review to the Tasmanian Medicines Access and Advisory Committee (TMAAC) for consideration of amendment to the Tasmanian Medicines Formulary listing for Botulinum Toxin.