The Pharmacy Department at the Columbia VA Healthcare System in Columbia, South Carolina is recruiting for a Rotational Clinical Pharmacist. The incumbent performs clinical pharmacist duties in both the inpatient and outpatient pharmacy settings to ensure that patients receive safe and appropriate drug therapy.
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: (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.) (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). 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. Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed. 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). 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: (1) 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. (2) 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 (3) 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. Grade Determinations: GS-11 Pharmacist - Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement above.) 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 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, OR Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. AND (b) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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. Preferred Experience: One year of experience working as a licensed pharmacist in a hospital setting processing orders and experience with sterile compounding. 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
The incumbent performs clinical pharmacist duties in both the inpatient and outpatient pharmacy settings to ensure that patients receive safe and appropriate drug therapy. The clinical pharmacist provides oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution and serves as a drug information resource for patients and other members of the healthcare team. Major duties include, but are not limited to: 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. 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. Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers. Evaluates prescriptions by reviewing the patient's chart for pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and drug allergies. 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 adding non-VA medications or discontinuing duplicate medications or those the patient is not taking. Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned. Provides pharmacokinetic consultation, including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides, in accordance with local policy. Implements PBM Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule. Performs all tasks having to do with medication preparation and dispensing in Outpatient and Inpatient Pharmacy Operations which include Mental Health, Chemotherapy, and Controlled Substances. Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing. Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record. Fills all orders in a timely fashion; review of patient allergy history, drug-drug, drug- nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately. Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved. Selects, compounds, dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmics (subconjunctivals and intravitreal injections), narcotics, investigational drugs, oncolytic agents, etc., in both outpatient and inpatient areas. Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacist. Responsible for conducting on-the-job training and provide guidance for all Pharmacy Operations processes and procedures. Maintains basic knowledge of pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics in the area of practice. Participation in research activities must be in accordance with FDA guidelines and regulations and VHA policy. Coordinates the receipt and distribution of all drugs in an investigational and/or clinical evaluation status and maintains appropriate records regarding their use as applicable. Work Schedule: Rotating Day Shifts (0700-1530, 0730-1600, 0800-1630, 0830-1700, 0930-1800, 0700-1830, 0700-1930). Will be required to work at least one weekend per month (weekend tours include 0700-1530, 0700-1830, 0700-1930, 0730-1600, 1130-midnight, 1530-midnight). Will be required to work some holidays and provide coverage for odd tours and nights (1230-2100, 1530-midnight, 2000-0830, 2000-0730, midnight-0800). May be required to work extra weekends and holidays during periods of staffing shortages. Tour of duty can be changed based on agency's needs. Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 56008F, 58564F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized