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Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Mental Health)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Baltimore, Maryland
Closing date
Mar 11, 2021
Duties

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) at the VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) provides pharmaceutical care services through direct interaction with patients and providers and functions at the highest level of clinical practice working independently under their individualized scope of practice. The incumbent serves as a non-physician provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services.
Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Major Duties of GS13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Mental Health) include but not limited to:

- Conducting comprehensive medical and medication histories from patients and/or their records
- Evaluating drug therapy through direct patient care involvement with clinical assessment of subjective and objective findings relating to patient's response(s) to drug therapy
- Developing, recommending, assessing, and monitoring therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical pharmacological treatment under scope of practice
- Prescribing medications, including initiation, continuation, discontinuation, and adjusting therapy (based upon the established Formulary and published Criteria for Use or Treatment Guidelines) as approved within Scope of Practice
- Initiating, modifying, renewing, refilling, or discontinuing medication therapy under scope of practice. The CPS will NOT write or renew any controlled substances
- Ordering labs and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy under scope of practice
- Documenting, reporting, and monitoring of medication errors, adverse drug events(ADEs), and medication allergies per policy
- Interacting directly with patients and/or caregivers, providing oral and written counseling on their medication therapy
- Reconciling patients' medication orders
- Documenting encounters and interventions in the patient electronic medical record
- Performing consultative services
- Assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews, prior authorization drug requests, and medication usage evaluations
- Participating in VAMHCS and VISN-level committees as assigned representing Pharmacy Service
- Serving as preceptor to students of affiliated schools and Pharmacy Practice residents
- Performing other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Final schedule to be determined by management.

Clinical Pharmacy Specialists are essential employees and follow VA Maryland Health Care System guidances, rules, policies, directives, and/or other notifications for essential employees during emergency and/or inclement weather.

Telework: Telework eligibility and work hours permissible to telework are under the discretion and determination of management at all times.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

25% or less - May include occasional travel to other VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) Sites.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
13

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to a background/security investigation
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process


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.

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.
(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.

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 38 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.

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.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/55; PART II, APPENDIX G15 LICENSED PHARMACIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD

Preferred Experience:
  • PGY1 and Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP)
OR
  • PGY1 Residency and PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Psychiatry

Grade Determination GS-13

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the position require regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 40 pounds, pushing and pulling of large carts. The job may include significant time at a computer terminal.

This position may be eligible for the EDRP, a student loan reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirement and submit your application within four months of appointment. The final award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) is determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

RESUME REMINDER: Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. In addition, please be sure to include your Education, Residency program to include Month and year start/end dates, and license, certification, or registration information to include the state, territory, or Commonwealth, license, certification, and/or registration number, and Month, Day, and Year of expiration. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  • License
  • Most recent non-award SF 50, must show position and tenure
  • VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript


VA FORM 10-2850c-This form is REQUIRED with your application. Please note you will be disqualified if this form is not submitted with your application package.

VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search .

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • License
  • Most recent non-award SF 50, must show position and tenure
  • VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations
  • Resume
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript


Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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