This position is for a day shift clinical pharmacist working in both inpatient and outpatient areas. The Clinical Pharmacist's primary responsibility is the utilization of evidence-based pharmaceutical care services through direct interactions with patients and providers as well as the safe provision of pharmaceuticals and medication information in a timely manner. This pharmacist promotes and manages drug therapy based on current clinical knowledge and established policies.
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). Education: (1) Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois 60602-5109; phone: (312) 664-3575, or through their Web site at: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/.(NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.) (2) Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT). Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. The pharmacist must maintain current registration if this is a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure. A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16. (1) Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of II-G15-238 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed. (2) Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, pharmacists must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unlicensed pharmacist with the written requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. Failure to become licensed within 2 years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0660 Pharmacist series and may result in termination of employment. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). See additional information in the Education section of this announcement. Creditable Experience Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board. Residency and Fellowship Training. Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for- year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health- System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination). Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination. Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 3 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: GS-11 Pharmacist (a) Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement in subparagraph 2c(1) above.) (b) Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. (b) Assignment. A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. These include, but are not limited to: reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness; processing and filling medication orders; interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care; reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems; contacting providers as appropriate; documenting recommendations and interventions; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; taking health and medication histories; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); assisting in medical emergencies; providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): 1. Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. 2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. 3. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. 4. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Major duties and responsibilities include: Clinical duties: Provides timely responses to drug information requests from patient care providers and nurses. Evaluates provider's orders for appropriateness of therapy, incompatibilities, side effects and interactions of drugs and drug products. Utilizes patient care information systems such as VistA and CPRS to obtain critical patient data elements and to document pertinent patient care issues. Provides medication use counseling at time of patient encounter. Counsels' patients on drug-drug interactions, adverse effects, food-drug interactions, product availability, appropriate use of, and PNT Committee and pharmacy policies as appropriate. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths or products per facility policy. Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy. Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold" function. Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy. Interacts with and makes recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care. Directly involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes by direct interactions with patients and providers. Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider. Performs medication reconciliation including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non-VA medications. Involved in reviewing patient medication regimens for cost effective drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, therapeutic duplication, appropriate route and method of administration, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. Monitors for and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility/VHA procedures. Has expertise in the principles of clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and is able to make dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable. Dispensing: Responsible for verification and evaluation of licensed independent practitioners' medication orders/prescriptions and input of written orders, when applicable. Selects, compounds, dispenses, and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmics, narcotics, oncolytic agents, etc., in inpatient and/or outpatient areas and follows appropriate quality assurance procedures as applicable. Inputs medication allergy data when information provided by patient/care giver/provider. Ensures that drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations. Education and Training: Participates in the training and in-servicing of patients, nurses, providers, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, and other medical center personnel as required. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Is skilled at using both written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others. May serve as a preceptor for pharmacy students. Has a good working knowledge of information resources such as Micromedex, Clinical Pharmacology, AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, or other relevant pharmaceutical references, both written and electronic. Administration: Ensures that work of the team is carried out on tours when no supervisory pharmacist is present. Acts as point-of-contact with Patient Care Services for resolution of time-sensitive nursing/pharmacy issues. Contacts additional staff, pharmacist or technician, to report for duty in the event of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) activation, and emergency or other situations where additional staff is necessary to perform the work at hand. Supervises the activities of support personnel and communicates with supervisory staff regarding issues that arise during the time period when no supervisory pharmacist is on site. Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm (Monday - Friday). Schedule subject to change based on the needs of the Agency. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 92564-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required