This position is located in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Southeast Network (VISN 7), VA Augusta Health Care System (VAAHCS) in Augusta, Georgia located in the Pharmacy Department. A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations.
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. Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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. 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. 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 for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: (KSAs must be clearly reflected in resume under description of duties in order to be found qualified for this position/grade level). GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) (a) 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, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. (b) 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws 1. The pharmacist provides appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects and clinical outcome; and advises prescribers as appropriate. 2. Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing- Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: - Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen - Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen - Appropriateness of the route and method of administration - Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen - Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug disease interactions - Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects - Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy 3. Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. 4. Provides medication counseling to patients. 5. Completes medication histories including patient interviews. 6. Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers. 7. Participates in chart reviews, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drag-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies. 8. Performs medication reconciliation at all transitions of care, including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non-VA medications. This may include ridding non-VA medications or discontinuing duplicate medications or those the patient is not taking. 9. Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms. 10. Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting prog.- am. 11. Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program. 12. Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned. 13. Participates in medical emergencies including code teams (if BLS or ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities. (BLS is required for all pharmacists) 14. Provides pharmacokinetic dosing and monitoring for vancomycin, aminoglycosides, warfarin, and other identified medications in accordance with local policy. 15. Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education. 16. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule. 17. Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy_ 18. Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold medication. ' function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders using Service Reject. 19. Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy. 20. Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents. 21. Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in-services to nursing, medical staff or to other ancillary services. 22. The pharmacist is responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, weekends, holidays, Rotating tours: 730AM-4PM, 830AM-5PM, 930AM-6PM, other tours as needed by the Service. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 57887F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.