Introduction
The Outreach and Research Programme of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health has ten community-based field sites across Pakistan (including four in Karachi) and focuses on research for the betterment of women and child health. The Department has a Nutritional Research Laboratory as well as an Infectious Disease Research Laboratory that caters to the needs of its research projects. It has well-acclaimed work to its credit both at the national and international level.
As an equal opportunity employer, AKU believes in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and is committed to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding and promoting a respectful relationship with and between the diverse workforce of its faculty, staff, trainees, volunteers, beneficiaries, wider communities, and other stakeholders with whom it works, including children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees/trainees and partners to share this commitment.
Responsibilities
You will be primarily involved in NICU and research. He/she will provide comprehensive nutritional care to neonates in the Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and cover the paediatric and maternity units. Lead, formulate, implement and monitor nutritional plan for babies in NICU, Neonatal Step down unit and Well baby nursey and any other pediatric area as needed. Have a strong knowledge command of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical aspects of neonatal nutrition to provide nutritional therapy and evaluate effectiveness of treatment. The position entails overall coordination of the Research Projects. This involves supervision of project implementation compilation of reports and liaison with different stakeholders. Specific responsibilities include to:
•supervision of Research projects•supervision of Neonatal nutrition •sharing the progress of the project, supervising data entry activities•developing SoPs for project and administrative processes and procedures to facilitate standardized practices •work on establishing systems and processes to facilitate adequate neonatal nutrition•train the health staff in neonatal nutrition•develop policies and procedures for the compounding of Parenteral nutrition and Enteral nutrition preparations, administration, and monitoring that include aseptic technique, recommended safe practices, methods for detection and/or prevention of formulation incompatibilities or instabilities •collaborate and communicate with clinical staff on established processes and resolution of problems or issues, using appropriate resources when necessary•establish lactation/breastfeeding guidelines including handling, storage, and delivery of nutritional products•participate in department quality improvement activities •be involved in research•ensure compliance with all national and local regulations as well as institutional policies and procedures (e.g. Health Dept, Joint Commission, quality assurance, safety, operations, and personnel) by keeping abreast of the most recent nutrition support-related trends, research, policy, certifications, and standards of practice•teach and train of physicians and nursing staff for knowledge about the compatibility, dilutions, osmolality, and storage conditions PN, EN, mother milk, milk fortifiers and metabolic formulas•educate patient/parents and significant others to integrate necessary modifications into nutritional and pharmaceutical care – linked with neonates’ outcomes•provide specialised professional and technical education to enable the paediatric service to meet high standards of patient care and safety.
Requirements:
You should have:
•Registered Dietitian with certification in specialized nutrition support, or pharmacist specialized in nutrition (Nutrition support pharmacist (NSP) with Certification in the area of nutrition support by a credentialing body such as the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, as a Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist (BCNSP)•Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy / Doctor of Pharmacy •prior sound experience of field coordination and implementation of community/ hospital-based research projects•competency and practice in accessing, planning, ordering, and preparation of nutrition support, expertise in identifying potential complications that could result from enteral or parenteral nutrition, as well as ongoing monitoring and error reporting•good interpersonal and communication skills•the ability to plan and monitor the field activities•familiarity with the government health system •capability to manage field team, work independently and take initiative•computer skills: MS Word, Spreadsheets
Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.