Safe Medication Management Fellowship

Job Details

ISMP fellowships are a challenging and rewarding experience offering a clear enhancement to career growth. ISMP Fellows have a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference in medication safety by collaborating with practitioners to undertake broad-based communication about medication errors and their prevention, developing interdisciplinary error-prevention strategies and creating educational initiatives that reach healthcare professionals and the general public with crucial medication-safety related information. Graduates of the program have been sought for employment in medication safety positions in healthcare systems, regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, and ISMP. Following completion of their fellowship, Fellows will be well equipped to become leaders in the fight to prevent medication errors, regardless of the practice area they choose.

ISMP Safe Medication Management Fellowship

ISMPs Safe Medication Management Fellowship is a one-year program beginning each July. This Fellowship offers healthcare professionals the unparalleled opportunity to learn from and work with some of the nation's top experts in medication safety to develop medication safety initiatives and error-prevention strategies.

PLEASE NOTE, to be considered, you will need to include the following with your application

• Resume/CV
• Transcripts
• Cover letter expressing your interest in the fellowship program and future career plans
• Three professional and/or academic letters of reference.

FDA/ISMP Safe Medication Management Fellowship

The FDA/ISMP Safe Medication Management Fellowship is a joint effort between ISMP and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology, Divisions of Medication Error Prevention and Analysis I and II (DMEPA I & II). The FDA/ISMP Fellow spends six months with ISMP, and six months with the FDA, beginning in July. This Fellowship provides a perfect opportunity to gain valuable regulatory experience and learn about the most current approaches to advancing medication safety and error prevention.

PLEASE NOTE, to be considered, you will need to attach the following with your application:

1. Resume/CV
2. Transcripts and one professional and/or academic letter of reference.

Candidates also need to submit an online application, including resume/CV, transcripts, and one educational or professional recommendation, to FDA/ORISE by the submission deadline at: 

DMEPA1’s fellowship (user interface differences between biosimilar/biosimilar interchangeable products): https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/FDA-CDER-2023-1251A

DMEPA2’s fellowship (proprietary name in a HealthIT environment research):  https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/FDA-CDER-2023-1245

Essential Functions Statement(s)

ISMPs fellowships are flexible and may be adapted to take advantage of emerging opportunities. Professional interests of Fellows also may be incorporated into planned experiences in order to accomplish individual goals.

Orientation and Medication Safety Instruction

• Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) and ISMPs affiliate, ECRI
  • Learn about ISMPs and ECRIs history, achievements and role in advancing in safety.
  • Become familiar with ISMPs and ECRIs initiatives, products and service lines, ongoing collaborations, advocacy work, and role as a joint Patient Safety Organization (PSO).
  • Participate in the services offered by ISMPs for-profit subsidiary, Med Safety Board.
• Medication safety-related professional, regulatory, and standard-setting organizations
  • Learn about the role of collaborating with professional organizations also involved in patient safety work.
  • Understand how they influence safety and become familiar with their recommendations, standards, and/or requirements.

• Foundational medication safety concepts, issues, and errors
  • Receive one-on-one and group instruction from leading medication safety experts at ISMP, as well as participation in educational programming through webinars, podcasts, symposia and personal presentations
  • Review relevant literature and publications, including published journal articles, the ISMP Medication Safety Alert! newsletters, and the book, Medication Errors.
  • Learn key concepts including but are not limited to:
    • • Systems thinking approach and ISMPs Key Elements of the Medication Use System
      • Culture of safety and the Just Culture model
      • Human factors
      • Error reporting and analysis
      • Risk identification and use of metrics
      • Application of root cause analysis (RCA) and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
      • High-alert medications and application of associated risk-reduction strategies
      • Integration of technology throughout the medication-use process
      • Regulatory requirements and standards for industry and healthcare organizations

Learning Experiences and Involvement

• • Communication and networking with healthcare practitioners, consumers, and the public

• • Serve as the primary contact for medication safety-related inquiries. As such, research and respond to incoming questions and concerns from healthcare practitioners and consumers. Participate in and/or lead group discussions, as needed, to formulate facility-specific recommendations or devise new ISMP recommendations.
  • Participate with ISMP staff on confidential consultation visits to healthcare facilities with ISMP staff and contribute findings for inclusion in the final report. (Travel is dependent on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
  • Interact with current medication safety officers/other professionals in medication safety to learn about their day-to-day activities, role and impact on safety, and how they address and prioritize medication safety issues.
  • Participate in media interviews related to medication safety topics as opportunities present.

• • Communication and networking with professional organizations, regulatory agencies, and drug information vendors

• • Participate in regular calls with drug information vendors and regulatory agencies.
  • Attend meetings with pharmaceutical or device companies and regulatory agencies.
  • Participate in regular medication safety calls with professional organizations and health systems .
  • Attend local, national, and possibly international professional meetings related to medication safety.

• • Review of medication error reports
    • Analyze reports of hazardous conditions and medication and vaccine errors, including close calls, submitted to ISMPs national error reporting programs by healthcare practitioners and consumers. Learn from events and aggregate causal analysis reported to the ECRI and ISMP Patient Safety Organization (PSO).
    • Contribute to internal discussion around submitted reports and perform follow-up with individuals who reported to ISMP MERP to ensure that all necessary information is available for ISMP evaluation of incidents.
    • Communicate with manufacturers, USP, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to report/discuss submitted concerns or incidents related to labeling, packaging, naming, or medication devices.
  • Publication and development of medication safety resources
    • Review ISMPs medication safety newsletters and contribute content as needed.
    • Prepare the content for the ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Action Agendas.
    • Research medication-safety related topics and use evidence to support conclusions
    • Write and/or review information for continuing columns in journals as needed.
    • Participate in ongoing medication error prevention projects and collaborate with ISMP staff on the development of educational events, proposals and grant applications, and medication safety tools and resources, including self assessments, guidelines, and the Best Practices.
    • Provide support for dedicated research projects
  • Participate in Med Safety Board safety reviews
    • Review medication packaging and labeling designs for safety concerns.
    • Contribute to other medication safety consulting work for industry as needed.
• Travel opportunities (Travel is dependent on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
  • • Travel with ISMP staff wherever possible.
    • Visit healthcare sites where certain technology systems have been integrated to observe their functionality and learn about the benefits and any potential risks with their implementation in the medication-use process.
    • Visit medication safety-related professional organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory agencies to understand their structure and role and to interact/network with staff.
  • Teaching and presentation opportunities
    • Participate in and possibly lecture to Temple Universitys PharmD class on medication errors.
    • Mentor PharmD students during their rotations with ISMP.
    • Prepare and present webinars or presentations to internal and outside healthcare practitioners as needed on various medication safety topics, journal articles, or medication error analysis.
    • Present a poster presentation regarding a research or related topic at a professional meeting.

Experience / Skills:

• Healthcare professional with at least one year of postgraduate experience working in a healthcare setting
  • Pharmacists and physicians who have completed a residency program and nurses with risk management, quality improvement, or patient safety experience are eligible to apply
  • Students who have not worked at least one year as a pharmacist, nurse, or physician are not eligible to apply

• Legally eligible to work in the United States (ISMP does not offer visa sponsorship)
• Dedicated individual with a strong commitment to improving medication safety, the ability to work in a fast paced and often-changing environment, and a high comfort level with working independently or in a collaborative process
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Dedicated individual with a strong commitment to improving medication safety, the ability to work in a fast paced and often-changing environment, and a high comfort level with working independently or in a collaborative process
• Relocation is not required; however, as frequently as monthly in-person meetings may be required, and Fellow is responsible for travel expenses

Education:

• RN, PharmD, Medical Doctor, or other applicable healthcare professional
• Additional requirement for the FDA/ISMP Safe Medication Management Fellowship ONLY:
  • Degree must have been received within the last sixty (60) months (5 years)