The Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) serves as provider who will initiate, modify, or discontinue medication therapy, and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services the outpatient clinics and Home Base Primary Care. Clinical Float duties may include the following patient populations: Anticoagulation Clinics, Primary Care (PACT), and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). In the HBPC setting, CPP is responsible for patients in the HBPC program.
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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, (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). (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED) 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. (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED) English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) 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: In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12). The GS-12 requirements include: (1) 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) or (2) Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. AND the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The above full performance grade level for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Work includes some walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items such as paper and books. Most of the work is performed while seated.
Clinical: Provides initial and periodic assessment of medication therapy for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes. Analyzes medication regimens to ensure the most effective, least toxic, and most cost effective treatment plan. Understands and applies advanced knowledge of pharmaceutic, pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacotherapeutic principles/differences specific to the respective patient population. Formulates pharmaceutical care treatment plans and recommends appropriate adjustments to attain disease state outcome goals. Provides in-depth, patient-specific pharmacologic reviews as needed or upon request. Documents therapeutic recommendations and/or plans as communicated with the patient and other members of the healthcare team. Dispensing/Operations: Evaluates prescriber's medication orders for appropriateness, renal/hepatic dosing, drug interactions, possible allergies/adverse reactions, duplications in therapy, and verifies/finishes pending inpatient orders. Utilizes VISTA and CPRS packages to maintain complete patient medication records. Enters or finishes outpatient prescriptions for dispensing. Drug Information: Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians and students. Uses appropriate references to research drug information. Has a good working knowledge of information resources, both written and electronic. Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management. Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Recommends and develops medication education materials for patient and interdisciplinary team member use. Education: Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists, pharmacy residents, medical residents, and other medical center personnel as required. Maintains faculty appointment through the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Is able to adjust communication based on age and developmental considerations. Is able to accurately assess and document patient comprehension. Is able to refer patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams. Is skilled at using both written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others. Serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students and residents. Research: Works with other health professionals to develop and participate in the implementation of protocols for clinical and health systems research related to pharmacy. Develops and coordinates clinical research activities and projects to benefit the Pharmacy Service. Submits articles, manuscripts, and research projects for presentation and publication locally and nationally. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized