The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Functions as a member of the Emergency Department and support the acute care team and plays a defined role in budgetary execution. Serves as a mid-level provider to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for medication therapy management services.
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: 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 website 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.); OR, Graduate 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, unrestricted, and unexpired 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 a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure. A pharmacist who has or has eve had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only IAW the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16. Creditable Experience (1) 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. (2) 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). (3) 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-12. An example of one year of experience at the GS-12 level would be working as a Clinical Pharmacist 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. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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. Preferred Experience: ASHP accredited PGY2 in Emergency Medicine or Critical Care residency training or equivalent experience. ASHP accredited PGY1 residency training or equivalent experience. Board Certification - Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Specialty Certification (BCEMP) or Critical Care Pharmacy Certification (BCCCP) 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 may be subjective to the following: moderate lifting of 15-44 pounds; moderate carrying of 15-44 pounds reaching above shoulders; use of fingers; walking not to exceed eight hours; standing not to exceed eight hours; near vision correctable at 13' to 16' to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/50 to 20/100 in the other; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; and hearing aids are permitted.
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Duties include but are not limited to: Collaborate prospectively with acute care providers to develop, implement, and maintain systems that promote desirable clinical outcomes of acute and chronic disease states through use of safe, evidence-based, and cost-effective drug therapies. Provide prospective consultation to physicians, nurses and other health care providers on appropriate drug therapy. Actively participate in multidisciplinary team rounds. Assess and prioritizes the patient's active medical conditions, taking into account clinical and patient goals of therapy. Assesses the indication, effectiveness, safety, and adherence of each mediation the patient is taking. Makes appropriate adjustments to medication therapy. Order, review and analyze appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Follows-up with patients on lab or test results to monitor, evaluate, and adjust medication therapy. Ensure appropriate care coordination during transitions of care within the inpatient setting (changes in levels of care, shift changes, etc.) as well as throughout the discharge process. Assist in medical emergencies and high-risk scenarios, when applicable. Ensures appropriate selection of medications, dosages, and administration, and provides recommendation on routes and dosages for alternatives medications if warranted. Maintain working knowledge of applicable medication criteria for use. Apply knowledge to direct appropriate medication therapy and adjudicate non-formulary and formulary with prior authorization medication requests Function as a mid-level provider to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas. Responsible for following Pharmacy Service and other regulatory policies regarding to medication labeling, inventory management, formulary management, PBM initiatives, equipment maintenance, and timeliness of service. Provide highly specialized education and training support to other professional services in the area of advanced pharmacotherapy. Serve a clinical preceptor for pharmacy students and for pharmacy residents. Ensure the residency is effectively managed and maintain American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) accreditation for the program when serving as a Residency Program Director. Instruct patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Incumbent adjusts communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations. Accurately assesses and documents patient comprehension. Refers patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams. Serve as preceptor of PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents' research projects. Responsible for the daily operation status of various aspects of the pharmacy programs. Prioritize work and makes administrative decisions when supervisory pharmacists are not available, or in instances where immediate decisions are required. Pharmacy Service Policy and Procedures, VA Regulation and state and federal Pharmacy laws will serve as operational guidance. Participate in the appropriate, effective and safe use of pharmaceuticals by contributing to criteria development, data collection, quality assurance and drug use evaluation and other quality improvement activities for core practice area(s) when needed. In cooperation with clinical section staff and other health professionals collects and analyzes data related to ongoing clinical programs and presents it either at national meetings or publishes it in professionally representative publications. Serve on medical center and/or VISN committees as requested. Work Schedule: 7 on, 7 off, Monday - Friday 9:30 am - 10:00 pm; weekends 11:30 am - 10:00 pm including every other weekend and holidays that fall on the assigned rotation. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 93823-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized