The Oncology Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their individual scope of practice to directly care for patients. An Oncology CPP at the Loma Linda VA Health Care System serves as a mid-level provider to initiate, modify, or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services.
Basic Requirements: Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Education: Applicants must possess one of the following: 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.) 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must possess the following grade requirements. GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy: Applicants must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12). In addition, applicants must meet the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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. Assignment: 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. Preferred Experience: 1 year of oncology experience; Comprehensive medication management in oncology clinic Board certification in oncology pharmacy. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Interfaces with providers, including physicians, PAs, ARNPs in the design of the veteran's treatment regimen to achieve optimization of rational and cost-effective drug therapy. Serves as an authoritative information source on drugs and their utilization in therapy, with special emphasis on medications used in treatment of hematological and oncological disease. Evaluates the drug literature by analysis of experimental design and methodology, in order to compare and contrast therapeutic regimens and roles for new drugs, with a special emphasis in medications used in hematology and oncology. Monitors and assesses therapeutic and adverse effects of drug therapy (including drug interactions) through selection and evaluation of physical, procedural, and laboratory parameters. Provides highly specialized education and training support to other professional services in the broad area of advanced pharmacotherapy, with special emphasis on oncology and hematology. Monitors and report drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures. Applies knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognizes significant abnormalities, and makes dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and other medical center personnel as required. Serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students and residents in accordance with established protocols. Contributes to planning and implementation of an effective quality assurance program for the pharmacy service and for the pharmacy team. Develops, builds, and maintains safe and effective medication orders and order sets within the electronic health record. Participates in oncology and hematology service, pharmacy department and facility safety initiatives and process improvements to maximize clinical outcomes, cost- effectiveness and safety. Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians, and students. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full Time; Shifts Vary. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.