The clinical pharmacist is primarily responsible for providing pharmaceutical services to adult patients in accordance with approved policies and procedures and accepted pharmacy practice. This responsibility includes interpreting and finishing medication orders written by providers, dispensing appropriate medications, and counseling patients on proper medication administration and storage.
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 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 InternetBased 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. 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: GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist 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, or2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. AND Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Pharmacist Qualification Standard Preferred Experience: Prior Pharmacy Experience The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Grandfathering Provision. All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard 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. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Employees grandfathered into the GS-660 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If a licensed pharmacist who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
Operating complex pharmacy automation. Responsible for ensuring ongoing compliance with medication management standards set forth by The Joint Commission and Office of Inspector General. Assists in continuous reporting and improvement of medication errors and adverse drug reactions. Provides oral and written consultation to providers, nurses, and other health professionals on basic information regarding drug therapy. Evaluates patients ability to understand instruction and provides written and oral counseling on their drug therapy. Serves as a member of the Code I team at the VA medical center possessing BLS or ACLS certification. Evaluates orders written by providers and determines appropriateness and accuracy based on patient medication profiles; inputs information into a computer system; dispenses medication in accordance with dosage form and record keeping requirements for outpatient prescriptions, inpatient unit dose medications, intravenous admixtures, parenteral nutrition, irrigation solutions, chemotherapy agents, investigational study drugs, controlled substances, and compounded prescriptions. Provides quality control and quality control analysis for dispensing activities of automated dispensing equipment and for the work of pharmacy technicians. Provides inpatient medication reconciliation services. Provides anticoagulation service. Identifies and resolves pharmacotherapy problems related to patient care. Completing medication histories including patient interviews Medication reconciliation including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non-VA medications. This may include adding non-VA medications or discontinuing duplicate medications or those the patient reports as no longer taking. Extending refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name and following policy guidelines. Monitoring drug therapy, allergies, labs and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems. Providing pharmacokinetic consultation including vancomycin and aminoglycosides under provider name in accordance with local policy. Managing recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule. Research and Education: Participates in pharmacy studies and research projects. Utilizes information from research studies. Acts as clinical adviser for professional and technical level pharmacy students. Participates in identifying and learning needs of pharmacy staff and accepts teaching other staff as a part of the function of a pharmacist. Keeps abreast of advances in pharmacotherapy and pharmacy practice and integrates these into practice. Assists in planning and evaluating education programs in pharmacy service. Administrative/Supervisory: Supervises the work of technical staff when the pharmacist is working in an independent duty situation. Serves rotations through each section of pharmacy service and works rotating shifts. Consistently completes pharmacist in-charge reports. Completes 72-hour cycle counts on IP vault Omnicell and OP vault. Assists with monthly unannounced control substance inspections as needed. Assures accuracy of controlled substance shipments and documents receipt of those shipments. Total Rewards of a VA Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: 4:00 pm-Midnight Monday-Friday, included Holidays and some on-call 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