As a long-term care pharmacist, articulating your extensive experience in geriatric pharmacotherapy and regulatory compliance on a resume can be daunting. Our guide offers targeted advice to help you distill your expertise into compelling bullet points that will capture the attention of healthcare recruiters.
- Long term care pharmacist resumes that are tailored to the role are more likely to catch recruiters' attention.
- Most sought-out long term care pharmacist skills that should make your resume.
- Styling the layout of your professional resume: take a page from long term care pharmacist resume examples.
How to write about your long term care pharmacist achievements in various resume sections (e.g. summary, experience, and education).
Is there a correct way to format your long term care pharmacist resume?
This is a tricky question. While skimming over your resume, recruiters will be looking at your experience and the message your profile conveys. That's why your resume format needs to be clear and concise, serving to supplement and organize your experience. Professional best practices point that the best long term care pharmacist resumes:
- Follow the reverse chronological order, where the most recent experience items are presented first . This is to keep your expertise succinct and to show recruiters your career growth over the years;
- Have a clearly defined header that includes all relevant contact information and a portfolio or a LinkedIn link. In some countries, it is acceptable to include a professional photo , so that your application is more memorable;
- Feature the most important long term care pharmacist resume sections towards the top, e.g. summary, skills, and experience. That way, recruiters can immediately find information that is relevant to the role;
- Take up no more than two pages - and two pages are the exception for more experienced professionals. Keep your expertise to the point and use your long term care pharmacist resume real estate wisely .
- Selecting modern, yet simple fonts, e.g. Rubik, Lato, etc., would help your application stand out;
- Many candidates stick with the tried-and-tested Arial or Times New Roman, but you'd want your long term care pharmacist resume to be a bit more unique;
- The ATS can read all serif and sans-serif fonts, so you should avoid fancy, formal script (or cursive) fonts.
Adjust your resume layout based on the market – Canadian resumes, for example, may follow a unique format.
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If you're in the process of obtaining your certificate or degree, list the expected date you're supposed to graduate or be certified.
The five (plus) definite sections your resume for a long term care pharmacist job should include are:
- Header with your headline, contact details, and/or a preview of your work
- Summary (or objective) to pinpoint how your success aligns with the role
- Experience with bullets of your most relevant achievements in the field
- Skills to integrate vital job requirements (both technical and personal)
- Your further dedication to the field, showcased via relevant higher education and/or certifications
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Extensive knowledge of medications used in geriatric pharmacotherapy and polypharmacy management techniques.
- Experience with medication therapy management (MTM) and creating personalized care plans for long-term care residents.
- Understanding of regulatory compliance, including state and federal regulations specific to long-term care facilities.
- Proficiency with electronic health record systems and pharmacy information systems used in long-term care settings.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, including physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers to optimize patient outcomes.
Experts' advice on writing your long term care pharmacist resume experience
While the excitement and motivation for writing your long term care pharmacist resume was present in the first hour (or so), you now find yourself staring at the blank page.
The resume experience section is the one that allows you to make a memorable impression by matching job requirement with your past jobs and accomplishments.
To help you write this resume section, here are four mistakes you need to avoid:
- Listing every job you have had so far, including the irrelevant ones. Before that, consider each of your past roles based on relevancy to the role. It may be the case that the job you had 15 years ago may have taught you invaluable skills that are appropriate for the role;
- Including irrelevant work experience items. Those are past jobs that aren't linked with the role you're applying for (or so they seem). Consider how your past jobs will serve your professional presentation: will they be filling in a gap in your work history, or just taking up space?
- Focusing on responsibilities instead of accomplishments. Your long term care pharmacist resume shouldn't just be telling recruiters what you did in the past - as it's most often the case that candidates have had similar responsibilities. But, rather, the experience section should showcase the success you've attained in each past role, thanks to your unique skill set;
- Consider listing just your professional experience. Any role you've had in the past - e.g. volunteering, internships, etc. - can make it into your long term care pharmacist resume experience section. Make sure to include it alongside numbers and results.
Two more things you need to remember about your resume experience section.
The first are keywords. Or those specific job requirements that are crucial for the role . Ensure you've integrated them across your experience section to get sorted closer to the ideal candidate profile by the Applicant Tracker System (ATS).
The second are action verbs. Each of your experience bullets should start with a strong action verb, followed by your specific skill and your on the job achievements. Follow this formula to hint to recruiters what your unique value as a professional is.
Still with us? In the next section, we will show you how industry-leading professionals have avoided the four most common mistakes, while integrating keywords and action verbs in their experience section.
- Implemented comprehensive medication management protocols, increasing patient adherence rates by 20%.
- Spearheaded a collaboration initiative with interdisciplinary teams to develop patient-centered care plans, reducing hospital readmission rates by 25% for our clients.
- Led the adoption of new medication distribution systems that improved efficiency and reduced medication errors by over 15%.
- Managed a patient portfolio of over 500 individuals, ensuring personalized medication therapy management and follow-ups.
- Conducted regular staff training sessions on drug interaction and pharmaceutical care, resulting in a 30% improvement in service quality.
- Initiated a cost-saving strategy by optimizing the bulk purchasing of medications, saving the facility an average of $50,000 annually.
- Collaborated closely with prescribers to customize medication regimens for geriatric patients, leading to improved therapeutic outcomes.
- Played a pivotal role in introducing an electronic medication administration record (eMAR) system, enhancing tracking and accuracy.
- Facilitated monthly medication safety reviews and implemented corrective actions, resulting in 50% fewer adverse drug events.
- Organized and oversaw the transition to a unit-dose drug delivery system, which was linked with a 40% reduction in the occurrence of dosing errors.
- Delivered exceptional patient care by conducting comprehensive medication reviews and adjustments for complex cases.
- Developed and implemented staff continuing education programs focused on geriatric pharmacotherapy, markedly enhancing clinical competency.
- Established a benchmarking system for monitoring the clinical and financial performance of pharmacy services, optimizing the use of resources.
- Initiated a fall-prevention program by assessing and adjusting high-risk medications, resulting in a 35% reduction in fall incidents within the elderly population.
- Provided in-service education and support to nursing staff, elucidating the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in elderly patients.
- Actively participated in quality assurance programs, audits, and inspections to comply with state and federal regulations, consistently achieving scores above 95%.
- Leveraged expertise in polypharmacy to review and reduce the number of medications per patient by an average of two, prioritizing patient safety and quality of life.
- Pioneered a robust immunization program that led to a 60% increase in vaccination rates among long term care residents.
- Orchestrated the deployment of a novel telepharmacy service, providing remote consultations and expanding service accessibility for rural long term care facilities.
- Championed a medication disposal and recycling program that safely disposed of over 2 tons of expired medications, mitigating environmental impact.
- Enhanced therapeutic drug monitoring protocols for high-risk medications, thereby significantly reducing the incidence of therapeutic duplications and interactions.
- Critical role in a consortium that standardized electronic prescribing across multiple long term care facilities, improving prescribing accuracy by over 88%.
- Developed comprehensive care plans and medication regimens for end-of-life patients, ensuring dignity and comfort in their final stages.
- Managed and executed proper medication storage and inventory protocols, maintaining 100% compliance with regulatory standards.
- Led a multidisciplinary team in a pilot project to integrate pharmacogenomics into medication therapy management, which tailored drug therapy based on genetic profiles.
- Implemented a tracking system for adverse drug reactions, identifying trends and contributing to a strategic approach for mitigation.
- Served on the pharmacy and therapeutics committee, advising on the selection and utilization of pharmaceuticals, and contributing to the formulary system optimization.
- Pioneered a comprehensive medication synchronization program that coordinated refills for complex regimens, increasing the efficiency of medication delivery by 40%.
- Authored a white paper on the impact of pharmacist interventions on patient outcomes in long term care that was widely recognized and implemented across the industry.
- Liaised with technology vendors to deploy a state-of-the-art pill dispensing machine, streamlining the medication administration process.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Document the percentage reduction of medication errors achieved through implemented verification procedures.
- Record the number of interdisciplinary team meetings led to discuss patient care plans and medication management.
- List the quantifiable outcomes of clinical interventions made, such as reduced hospital readmission rates.
- Detail the dollar amount saved through formulary management and cost-effective medication substitutions.
- Highlight the volume of prescriptions filled and managed daily, weekly, or monthly to demonstrate workload capacity.
- Outline the number of continuing education sessions conducted for nursing staff regarding proper medication administration.
- Provide the figure for increased patient satisfaction scores that correlate with pharmaceutical care provided.
- Specify the percentage of compliance achieved with state and federal regulations due to quality control initiatives.
Action verbs for your long term care pharmacist resume
How to shift the focus from your long term care pharmacist resume experience section to your professional profile
If you're at the start of your career journey or transitioning industries, you might be concerned about the lack of professional experience while crafting your long term care pharmacist resume.
How can you effectively present your long term care pharmacist resume experience section under these circumstances?
Rather than a traditional, extensive experience section, demonstrate your expertise through:
- Emphasizing your education. Your academic background might impress recruiters, especially if it includes recent, industry-relevant knowledge;
- Creating a compelling objective statement. The first few sentences of your resume should map out your motivations and career aspirations, offering insight into your goals;
- Highlighting your transferable skills. For example, if you've honed communication skills through volunteering, illustrate on your long term care pharmacist resume how these can benefit a potential employer;
- Detailing your technical background in certifications and skills sections. As a recent graduate, your technological foundations might be particularly attractive to employers looking to develop these skills further.
It's important to remember that employers sometimes prefer candidates with less experience but who are a better cultural fit for their organization.
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If you happen to have some basic certificates, don't invest too much of your long term care pharmacist resume real estate in them. Instead, list them within the skills section or as part of your relevant experience. This way you'd ensure you meet all job requirements while dedicating your certificates to only the most in-demand certification across the industry.
Creating your long term care pharmacist resume skills section: balancing hard skills and soft skills
Recruiters hiring for long term care pharmacist roles are always keen on hiring candidates with relevant technical and people talents. Hard skills or technical ones are quite beneficial for the industry - as they refer to your competency with particular software and technologies. Meanwhile, your soft (or people) skills are quite crucial to yours and the company's professional growth as they detail how you'd cooperate and interact in your potential environment. Here's how to describe your hard and soft skill set in your long term care pharmacist resume:
- Consider what the key job requirements are and list those towards the top of your skills section.
- Think of individual, specific skills that help you stand out amongst competitors, and detail how they've helped you succeed in the past.
- Look to the future of the industry and list all software/technologies which are forward-facing.
- Create a separate, technical skills section to supplement your experience and further align with the long term care pharmacist job advert. Find the perfect balance between your resume hard and soft skills with our two lists.
Top skills for your long term care pharmacist resume:
Pharmacy Management Software
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Medication Therapy Management (MTM)
Drug Interaction Databases
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
Clinical Decision Support Systems
Compounding Techniques
Regulatory Compliance Tools
Inventory Management Systems
Patient Counseling Tools
Communication Skills
Empathy
Attention to Detail
Problem-Solving
Teamwork
Time Management
Adaptability
Critical Thinking
Patient Advocacy
Interpersonal Skills
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The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
The importance of your certifications and education on your long term care pharmacist resume
Pay attention to the resume education section . It can offer clues about your skills and experiences that align with the job.
- List only tertiary education details, including the institution and dates.
- Mention your expected graduation date if you're currently studying.
- Exclude degrees unrelated to the job or field.
- Describe your education if it allows you to highlight your achievements further.
Your professional qualifications: certificates and education play a crucial role in your long term care pharmacist application. They showcase your dedication to gaining the best expertise and know-how in the field. Include any diplomas and certificates that are:
- Listed within the job requirements or could make your application stand out
- Niche to your industry and require plenty of effort to obtain
- Helping you prepare for professional growth with forward-facing know-how
- Relevant to the long term care pharmacist job - make sure to include the name of the certificate, institution you've obtained it at, and dates
Both your certificates and education section need to add further value to your application. That's why we've dedicated this next list just for you - check out some of the most popular long term care pharmacist certificates to include on your resume:
The top 5 certifications for your long term care pharmacist resume:
- Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP) - Board of Pharmacy Specialties
- Certified Consultant Pharmacist (CCP) - Board of Pharmacy Specialties or respective state boards
- Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP) - Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy
- Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) - Board of Pharmacy Specialties
- Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) - National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners
PRO TIP
If you happen to have plenty of certificates, select the ones that are most applicable and sought-after across the industry. Organize them by relevance to the role you're applying for.
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Writing the long term care pharmacist resume summary or objective: achievements, keywords, dreams, and more
Deciding on whether to include a resume summary or resume objective should entirely depend on your career situation.
If you have:
- Plenty of relevant achievements you'd like to bring recruiters' focus to, make use of the resume summary. Ensure each of your achievements is quantified with concrete proof (e.g. % of cases solved).
- Less applicable experience, utilize the resume objective. Within the objective include a few noteworthy, past successes, followed up by your professional dreams.
As a bonus, you could define in either your long term care pharmacist resume summary or objective what makes you the perfect candidate for the role.
Think about your unique hard and soft skills that would make your expertise even more important to the job.
These long term care pharmacist professionals have completely covered the formula for the ideal resume introduction:
Resume summaries for a long term care pharmacist job
- With over 10 years of dedicated service in long-term care pharmacy, I've honed expertise in medication therapy management, developed comprehensive drug review protocols, and led a team that achieved a 30% reduction in medication errors for our residential aged care patrons, aligning with the highest standards of pharmaceutical care.
- Aspiring to harness my background as a clinical nurse with 8+ years of experience in geriatric care, my recent qualification as a pharmacist equips me to adeptly manage the unique medication needs within long-term care environments, leveraging my extensive knowledge of patient-centered care and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Transitioning from 6 years in retail pharmacy management into long-term care pharmacy, ready to apply my robust skills in formulary management, patient counseling, and operation logistics to ensure optimal medication use and enhance the quality of life for seniors in residential care settings.
- Guided by a passion to positively impact the healthcare journey of elderly clients, my robust pharmaceutical training, complemented by a 5-year tenure in hospital pharmacy, uniquely positions me to provide exceptional care to long-term care residents, managing complex medication regimens with precision and empathetic patient engagement.
- Eager to embark on a career in long-term care pharmacy, bringing forth my keen attention to detail, a solid grounding in pharmacological principles from a recent PharmD degree, and a genuine commitment to improving medication safety and efficacy within geriatric populations.
- Keen to contribute to the improvement of pharmacological care in long-term settings, as a newly graduated pharmacist, my objective is to draw upon my academic excellence and practical training experiences to ensure safe and effective medication management for the elderly, while continuously pursuing professional growth in this specialist domain.
Extra sections to include in your long term care pharmacist resume
What should you do if you happen to have some space left on your resume, and want to highlight other aspects of your profile that you deem are relevant to the role? Add to your long term care pharmacist resume some of these personal and professional sections:
- Passions/Interests - to detail how you spend both your personal and professional time, invested in various hobbies;
- Awards - to present those niche accolades that make your experience unique;
- Publications - an excellent choice for professionals, who have just graduated from university or are used to a more academic setting;
- Volunteering - your footprint within your local (or national/international) community.
Key takeaways
- The format and layout of your long term care pharmacist resume should reflect on both your career and what matters most to the job you're applying for;
- Use the resume summary and objective to hint at your most prominent accomplishments;
- Always be specific about your experience and consider what value each bullet you curate adds to your long term care pharmacist application;
- Consider how your academic background and technical capabilities could further showcase your alignment to the role;
- Your soft skills should contribute to your overall long term care pharmacist profile - aligning your personality with skills and results.
