Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

About the role

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) — a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program approval — award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) — is determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Qualifications

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.
• Language: Applicants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j.
• 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. OR Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate can 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 (GS-12): Individuals must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license at the GS-12 grade 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. 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

In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must be able to show one of the following:

• Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program
• 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level

Specialized Experience — GS-12

In addition to the basic requirements, candidates 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

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 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. Your resume must demonstrate this experience and include the month/year and number of hours worked per week at each job or you will be found ineligible.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

Duties

Clinical

• The pharmacist provides appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, monitoring for efficacy, side effects, and clinical outcome, and advises prescribers as appropriate.
• Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing.
• Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in:
  • Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen
  • Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen
  • Appropriateness of the route and method of administration
  • Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen
  • Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug-disease interactions
  • Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects
  • Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy

Dispensing

• Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness — drug selection, dosage, route of administration, and the amount — prior to dispensing.
• Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record.
• Fills all orders in a timely fashion; review of the patient's allergy history, drug-drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory, and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately.
• Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved.
• Selects, compounds, dispenses, and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmics (subconjunctivals and intravitreal injections), controlled substances, oncological agents, etc. — in both outpatient and inpatient areas.
• Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable.
• Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises prepacking and the operation of automated dispensing equipment.
• Manages inpatient work flow, oversees technicians, and guides in prioritizing work for timely patient care.
• Proficient in various pharmacy-related automations (Omnicell, Controlled Substance manager, Carousel, Pill packagers) and optimization of automation.

Education

• Provides education to health care providers regarding medication use.
• Maintains basic knowledge of pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics in the area of practice.
• Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and nonprofessional staff members.
• Conducts on-the-job training and provides guidance through designated programs.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in pharmacy practice and drug therapy by reading pharmacy and medical literature and participating in continuing education programs.

VA Green Environment Management System (GEMS)

• The incumbent consistently follows Healthcare System environmental policies and procedures related to VA GEMS Program — and the recycling, safe use, and disposal of chemical products and high-risk medications.
• The incumbent will understand and comply with federal, state, and local environmental laws and other requirements — preventing pollution, minimizing waste, conserving cultural and natural resources, and continually improving environmental programs.

Physical Requirements

• The work requires physical exertion such as reaching, bending, standing, walking, and climbing.
• Occasionally may need to lift 10–20 pounds.

Work Environment

Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical in a clinical pharmaceutical setting. The work area is heated, cooled, lighted, and ventilated. Employees may be required to use protective clothing or gear such as masks, gowns, goggles, gloves, or shields.

Work Schedule

• 8 hour days / 5 days a week rotating tours between 6am–10pm — 40 hrs/week
• Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
• Telework: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Additional Information

• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive