The acute care clinical pharmacists will be responsible for all veterans receiving care on an inpatient ward, ICU, O.R., day surgery, dialysis unit, x-ray, GI lab, Cardiac Cath. lab, CLC, and the emergency department. The clinical pharmacists may be assigned to specific multidisciplinary teams and/or ward locations depending on the specific tour of duty.
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. Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois. 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. English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, incumbent must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. 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): 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The position requires walking, standing, and sitting for long periods of time. The position also requires climbing stairs, lifting up to 50 pounds, dexterity of the hand and wrist, and arm strength to perform dispensing of medication orders.
Customer Service: Demonstrates appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service. Acts as a team member and is supportive of the group's efforts at all times. Demonstrates an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality. Clinical: The clinical pharmacist provides appropriate recommendations for the selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects, toxicity, adverse effects, and clinical outcomes; and advises prescribers as appropriate. Provides consultation for patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring. Communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations, both orally and in writing, to other pharmacists and health care providers in charge of the patient. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: -Pharmacokinetic consultation for dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides - Management of anticoagulation therapy, including lab monitoring and dosage adjustments based on current medical center policy. -Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's overall drug regime - Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy. Completes medication histories including patient interviews. Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers. Participates in patient care rounds, reviews charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for 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. Participates in medical emergencies including code teams (if BLS or ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities. Provides pharmacokinetic consultation, including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides, in accordance with local policy. Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education. Facilitates pharmacy service policies and procedures to manage recalls and medication shortage situations, including substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule. Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy. Dispensing: 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 the patient's 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. Selects, compounds, dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmics (subconjunctival and intravitreal injections), narcotics, investigational drugs, oncologic agents, etc., in both outpatient and inpatient areas. Quality assurance procedures shall be followed. Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises pre-packing and the operation of automated dispensing equipment. Supervises the activities of support personnel. Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations. Education: The pharmacist is responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, participating in continuing education programs, and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties. Provides education to health care providers regarding medication use. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members. Work Schedule: Days, Night, Weekends, This position is a permanent, intermittent (PRN) as needed not a full time position. Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55649-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized