Drug Safety Nurse
Drug safety nurses typically work for specialized health care organizations, or pharmaceutical companies and track the effectiveness and general safety of prescription medications. These nurses may be registered nurses, but most have undergone more specific training. He or she is responsible for a wide variety of tasks, many of which vary depending on the field or employer. Drug safety nurses that work for pharmaceutical companies are in charge of monitoring the safety of certain drugs that the company manufactures, as well as analyzing data, researching reports, and dealing directly with patients who take the medication and may have information or questions. Drug safety nurses that work for health care organizations such as hospitals or clinics are responsible for patient education regarding particular prescription drugs, providing information regarding potential dosage restrictions and side effects, as well as working with physicians to determine the safest courses of drug treatments. Other duties include: compiling data and making reports, data entry, determining labeling information, and conducting quality control checks.
Drug safety nurses must be registered nurses with a current license, and must hold a four-year Bachelor’s degree of Science in Nursing (BSN). Other required skills include: exceptional analytical skills, computer database experience, organizational skills, multi-tasking skills, and professional communication skills.
The typical average salary of an entry-level drug safety nurse is about $43,000 per year, while experienced drug safety nurses earn an average of about $68,000 per year.