This position is designed to provide e-pharmacy functions, support outpatient prescription processing, and assist Informatics duties, as assigned.
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. (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. 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-12 Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level; or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. Program. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. GS-13 Experience - You must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Facility Program Manager. Manages all aspects of a distinct program to include policy development, quality resources and specialty functions unique to the program to optimize cost effectiveness (budget) and patient outcomes. Coordinates a single program area of a complex pharmacy operation, or multiple program areas within a facility to develop, organize, manage, and control complex pharmacy programs. Develops, organizes, coordinates, and manages single or multiple program areas within the medical facility; this may include a single program area at multiple facilities. The Program Manager title is reserved for those individuals who have one or more of the following: supervisory responsibilities for various sections within Pharmacy Service; a complex program requiring coordination of multiple locations such as medical center care facilities, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), rural health, telemedicine, etc; specialized areas of a complex nature such as nuclear pharmacy, quality assurance, pharmacy informatics, clinical applications coordinator, Home Based Primary Care, pharmacoeconomist or liaison pharmacist duties requiring the coordination of processes with other medical facilities or VISNs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. Advanced 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-13. Physical Requirements: Incumbent of this position has direct patient care duties and must be proficient in the English language. Incumbent must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the duties of the position. The work is performed in a pharmacy setting, and it can require physical exertion, involving standing and/or sitting for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 50 lbs., and bending/stooping.
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws ePHARMACY PROGRAM MANAGER Identifies and corrects a variety of prescription entry problems (errors, inaccuracies, incongruities, etc), including e-pharmacy/CHAMPVA rejections, prescriptions discontinued after label was printed, confusing directions, and unapproved or unclear abbreviations, mismatches between directions and dispense quantity and/or days' supply (E.g., insulin), bad addresses, erroneous death flags (and restoring prescriptions discontinued by the error, etc. Assists with outpatient drug "conversions" by editing prescriptions or entering "new" drug prescriptions and discontinuing "old" drug prescriptions per protocol or SOP. Drug "conversions" are required changes in prescriptions and orders from the originally prescribed drug to another. Such changes may be required by long term manufacturing shortages, drug recalls, changes in national formulary or national contract, or an elective local change for patient safety or to reduce costs. Assists in managing e-pharmacy rejected claims, including those for CHAMPVA patients Routinely resolves or coordinates the resolution of rejects found on the Third Party Payer Rejects - Worklist Resolves ePharmacy rejects involving Refill Too Soon, Drug Utilization Review, Dispense as Written, and National Drug Code rejects. TICKET MANAGER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DUTIES Manages ePharmacy EHR tickets and change requests entries for the Pharmacy Service as per national local, VISN and Enterprise guidance. Provides ongoing third-party pharmacy claims rejection guidance/training and assistance to staff. Completes appropriate state required continuing education (CE) credits, and maintains license in active status. PRESCRIPTION PROCESSING Verifies and electronically finishes pending prescriptions entered in CPRS. Reviews and evaluates pending prescriptions within the context of the patient's existing medication profile, allergies, and corrects other entry errors or contacts provider to clarify. Processes pending prescriptions for non-formulary and restricted drugs only after appropriate approvals are recorded. Processes the pending eRXs in all locations. Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday Telework:Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD942280 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized