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 in the Prior Authorization Drug Request (PADR) service.
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. English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). 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. 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.) 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. 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). GS 12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Grade Determinations: Experience or Education: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: (a) 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or (b) Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. (b) Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. (c) Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. (d) Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Preferred Experience: VA experience, completion of a PGY1 residency Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Provides an 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. 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 Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to ensure optimal drug therapy. Participates in chart reviews, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drag-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies. Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. Participates in medical emergencies including code teams (if BLS or ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities. (BLS is required for all pharmacists). 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. Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in-services to nursing, medical staff or to other ancillary services. Provides education to health care providers regarding medication use. Maintains basic knowledge of pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics in the area of practice. Keeps abreast of new developments in pharmacy practice and drug therapy by reading pharmacy and medical literature and participating in continuing education programs. Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record. Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing. Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations to include all DEA regulations for controlled substances. Reviews prior authorization drug requests from all Charlie Norwood Prescribers, and in rare cases care in the community prescribers for appropriateness, utilizing clinical knowledge, national and VISN treatment guidelines, drug use criteria, and relevant literature and resources. Reviews are completed and documented in CPRS in a timely manner and include allergy assessment, ADR information, drug-drug and drug-food interaction potential, lab value assessment, elimination of duplicate/obsolete orders, and appropriate drug conversions. Serve as a reference for pharmacy and providers in answering questions about the formulary status and requirements for obtaining non-formulary or prior authorization medications. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am to 4:00pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60098F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS):Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure: None