The Clinical Pharmacist is responsible for providing clinical pharmacy services on a daily basis. The Clinical Pharmacist provides pharmaceutical care and medication therapy management to patients enrolled in the assigned area of practice. 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. 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. 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 Web site 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.) (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). 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). 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. Grade Determinations: GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1. One(1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. 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): 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. Preferred experience: Inpatient pharmacy experience and completion of a Pharmacy Residency References: Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G15 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook and Directive 5019 ["A. Prepares and dispenses medication orders per physician request according to established policies, procedures and protocols. Interprets medication orders (verbal, written and electronic) and transcribes to computerized patient medication prescription labels/profiles accurately. Maintains accurate, complete patient medication profiles Accurately compounds and/or dispenses pharmaceuticals for various administration routes including, but not limited to: oral agents (tablets, capsules, liquids, etc.); topicals (ointments, creams, transdermal systems, etc.); parenterals (antimicrobial agents, cytotoxic chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, etc.): supplies and ancillary items. Processes, dispenses and/or distributes controlled substances and maintains appropriate accountability and records as required by agency regulations and federal law. B. Ensures safe, appropriate, cost-effective medication therapies for patients according to established policies, procedures and protocols. Reviews drug therapy regimens for drug related problems including but not limited to indications/contraindications; drug-drug interactions; drug-food interactions; allergies; interpretation of culture and susceptibility data, appropriateness of drug and dose, etc. and takes appropriate action to safeguard patients through counseling, recommending changes to providers, etc., as needed.. Supports implementation and adherence to the formulary by complying with prescribing criteria; nonformulary processes; therapeutic substitution protocols; and promotion of rational drug therapy. C. Ensures safe, appropriate, cost-effective medication therapies for patients, in accordance with established policies, procedures, and protocols. Supports the development, implementation, and maintenance of clinical pharmacy services. Facilitates the development and implementation of treatment guidelines, protocols, formulary changes and critical pathways as approved by appropriate committees. Facilitates the identification of opportunities for, implementation of, removal of barriers toward, and communication regarding cost-effective medication use initiatives in collaboration with the medical staff. medications for compliance with current pharmacoeconomic programs and processing criteria based prescribing forms. Strives to ensure equitable distribution of workload in those categories. Provides clinical consultation including non-formulary consultation, and clarification to practitioners. Suggests appropriate, cost-effective therapeutic alternatives to medical staff as needed. Evaluates the pharmaceutical care needs of special populations for pharmacokinetic dosing parameters, and other pharmacotherapeutic considerations. Completes non-formulary evaluations as assigned. The expectation is to complete an average of two non-formulary reviews each work day. D. Provides education and information on pharmaceutical care and drug therapy. Provides accurate, adequate and timely drug information to the professional staff. Participates in preparation and presentation of drug reviews, DUE criteria, adverse drug reaction reports, and other materials as directed by the pharmacy management or designee. Reads and evaluates clinical literature for application to the pharmaceutical care needs of patients and in support of pharmacoeconomic programs. Contributes to the advancement of the profession through presentations at local,, state, regional and/or national meetings. Participates in facility and/or community educational programs. E. Contributes to improvement in quality and effective operation of the department. Reviews patterns of drug utilization for therapeutic effectiveness, therapeutic duplication and cost effectiveness and makes appropriate recommendations to providers in order to prevent, identify or resolve drug related problems and achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes. Assists in development of policies, procedures and/or programs and serves on teams related to the safe and effective use of medications, e.g., RCA teams, SOP and Memorandum review and development teams, etc. Documents clinical interventions via CPRS progress notes, encounter form and PharmD Tool. F. Maintains competency required for the current job title/position. Maintains current pharmacist licensure/registration and scope of practice (if applicable) for the area(s) assigned. Actively participates in staff development; new employee orientation; education and training programs Work Schedule: Varies Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21087-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
