Duties

A. Clinical
(1) The pharmacist confirms 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.(2) 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.

(3) Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy.(4) Provides medication counseling to patients.(5) Reviews medication histories including patient interviews.(6) Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers.(7) May participates in patient care rounds, review charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies.(8). Performs medication reconciliation at all transitions of care, including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non-VA.
(9) Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms.(10) Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program.(11) Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program.(12) Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned.(13) Provides pharmacokinetic consultation, including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides, in accordance with local policy.(14) Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education.(15) Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule.(16) Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy.(17) Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold medication" function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders using Service Reject.(18) Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy.
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.

Process, fill and check 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), narcotics, investigational drugs, oncolytic 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.

Supervises the activities of technicians and other support personnel.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am-4:30pm or 9:30am-6pm. Rotating holidays and weekends
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Title/Functional Statement #:Clinical Pharmacist (Outpatient)/PD000000
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

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.(NOTE: This is only applicable to current VA Health Profession Trainees (HPTs) and supporting documents must be provided to be referred under this condition.

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.
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

Grandfathering Provision. All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation since June 7, 2012 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

Creditable Experience: 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 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). 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 as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek.

Grade Determinations:
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 (GS-11), 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):

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.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Work requires repetitive use of hands, moderate lifting, walking, reaching above head, bending, stooping, standing, pushing, pulling, lifting/carrying of light items (up to 15 pounds), including boxes and equipment, and coordination for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. Normal range of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color. Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job. Must possess emotional and mental stability. Must be able to work closely with others.

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 or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .