The Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner- Primary Care/Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), serves as a provider with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's Scope of Practice for Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) in Primary Care/PACT. The primary responsibility of the CPP is the provision of evidence-based pharmaceutical care services through both direct and indirect interaction with patients and providers.
Basic Requirements: Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) 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.) 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. 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 GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. GS-13 (a) Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (b) Assignments. Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist: The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Preferred Experience: Candidates for the PACT Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner position should possess the skills with specific experience in Ambulatory or Primary Care setting. Candidates should have received experience in a current or previous job (including residency training) that includes direct patient care and comprehensive medication management responsibilities. Preferred candidates will have combination of the following: PGY1 Residency, PGY2 specialty residency, and/or board certifications (BPS); or equivalent training and experience providing direct patient care as a pharmacist provider. 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-13. Physical Requirements: Must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the duties of the position.
The duties of the Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner- Primary Care/Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) include, but are not limited to: Clinical: 1. Is directly involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas. 2. Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider as appropriate. 3. Is actively involved in reviewing patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. 4. Monitors for and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures. 5. Is able to apply a knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care and recognizes significant abnormalities. Education and Research: 1. Responsible for keeping abreast of changes within Pharmacy Service (i.e., formulary additions and deletions, interdepartmental memoranda, relevant station memoranda, policies, and procedures) and maintains a general knowledge of VA, DEA and JCAHO regulations. 2. Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and other medical center personnel as required. 3. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Adjusts communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations. Is able to accurately assess and document patient comprehension. Is able to refer patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams. Drug Information: 1. Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians, and students. Uses appropriate references to research drug information. 2. Has a good working knowledge of information resources, both written and electronic. 3. Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management. 4. Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Customer Service: 1. Treats patient, team members, other facility employees and visitors with respect. Responds to the needs of the service in a courteous and timely manner. 2. Demonstrates appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service. Acts as a team member and always supports the group's efforts. 3. Demonstrates an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday; Hours 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized