This Pharmacy Specialist (ADP Coordinator/Internal Control Specialist) is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Durham, NC Veterans Affairs Medical Center under the Pharmacy Service Line. The incumbent is responsible for the daily operation of the pharmacy's automated data processing and management information systems.
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. 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. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree programs; 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 (TOEF iBT). Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d). Candidates 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: 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. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-13 Clinical Pharmacist Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, you must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12). Assignment: A pharmacist in this assignment will be involved with the independent practice of pharmacy with respect to applying computers, technology and automation to pharmacy practice to enhance the ability of the service to process workload and collect/analyze data. In consultation with the Chief, the specialist is responsible for the professional, administrative and technical management of the service's ADP and Internal Control programs in accordance with the framework provided by Pharmacy and OIT service policies, agency regulations and state and federal laws that govern pharmacy practice. The incumbent is responsible for coordination, development, and implementation of all pertinent information applications to support clinical practice, administration, educational development, research initiatives and the computerized medical record in Pharmacy Service. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) (GS-12): 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 5005/55PART II APPENDIX G15, LICENSED PHARMACIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Involves standing/sitting for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighting up to 50 lbs., and bending/stooping.
Major duties include but are NOT limited to: The pharmacy specialist must have a thorough knowledge of all VISTA pharmacy programs, VISTA service-integrated programs (e.g. Allergy Tracking), the graphical user interface (GUI) employed by VHA, VA Fileman, CPRS, personal computer software commonly used by service personnel, software used in the operation of all automation employed by the service and network software used to administer the PC networks within the service. The specialist will be responsible for staff training and implementation of all new and upgraded VISTA, CPRS and GUI applications utilized by all sections of Pharmacy Service. Reviews data collected manually and devises methodologies of converting manual data collection systems to automated systems. As requested by the supervisory staff, works in concert with appropriate personnel of local, regional and national OIT service desks to develop VISTA and /or GUI based solutions to operational problems. When the desired functionality is beyond the jurisdiction of local expertise initiates Remedy Tickets or NTRT request to gain further assistance from National Support (Clin I Team). Acts as a liaison between Pharmacy Service and OIT and Informatics staffs. All operational problems experienced by Pharmacy Service staff are referred to the specialist who will interact with OIT and/or Informatics staff to affect the required fixes in a timely manner. Uses clinical skills to formulate informatics solutions to complex therapy and treatment modalities in order to promote intended outcomes and patient safety measures. Collaborates with other clinical informaticists as needed to achieve these objectives. The incumbent is constantly in contact with supervisory staff to ensure all systems are performing at the necessary level. When it is obvious that hardware/software used is not adequate to support specific applications, researches reasonable alternatives and recommends appropriate replacement hardware/software to Pharmacy Management. Maintains familiarity with all pharmacy operations impacted by applications employed and proposes operational changes to supervisory staff when automation provides the opportunity to gain efficiency Prior Pharmacy Informatic experience is required. Prior project management experience in a health care domain is preferred though not required. Certification from a national informatics body or a formal training in clinical/pharmacy informatics is preferred. Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf