The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. The Pharmacist Program Manager for information systems is responsible for assessment, design, integration, modification, maintenance and analysis of data, data management services, networking, and computerized medical record for Pharmacy Service to assist and support Pharmacy Service managerial decision making.
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). Creditable Experience: Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board. Residency and Fellowship Training. Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for- year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health- System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination). Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination. Grade Determinations: GS-13 Experience. Must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. This experience may include: handle routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. Reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness; processing and filling medication orders; 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. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Reference: VA Handbook 5005, Part 2, Appendix G15. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Preferred Experience: - Experience with managing and querying relational databases (SQL, Oracle DB, etc.) - Understanding of clinical workflows, particularly in a pharmacy setting - Strong organizational skills for managing project timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder communications - Ability to troubleshoot and resolve EHR system issues - Skills in change management and user adoption strategies. - Advanced degree in Health Informatics, Pharmacy Informatics, or a related field Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing at least 50 lbs., and bending/stooping. Incumbent must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the duties of the position. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Grandfathering Provision: 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). 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: 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: 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. 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 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws 1. Manages EHR related troubleshooting and supports Pharmacy personnel with EHR problem resolution. 2. Owns and manages all EHR/Oracle ticket and change requests entries for the Pharmacy Service. 3. Provides administrative, technical, analytical, and automated data processing -ADP support to Pharmacy Service. 4. Makes configuration changes to hardware and software to meet evolving and complex computerized initiatives -EHR, BCMA, Patient Interfacing Systems, etc.- and Pharmacy Service needs. Serves as the coordinator to ensure that systems are fully integrated, resources are utilized effectively and efficiently, and objectives are met. 5. Serves as the liaison to other services on issues related to all pharmacy packages, to include the new EHRM system. 6. As requested by supervisory staff, works in concert with appropriate personnel with OI&T or Informatics staff to develop EHRM solutions to operational problems. When the desired functionality is beyond the jurisdiction of local expertise, initiates the appropriate reports to request functionality at the national level. 7. Assists in the drug file management at a facility level in collaboration with the national drug file team. Actively manages the EHR ordering menus to guide intuitive, safe, effective, and cost-conscious ordering of pharmaceutical products consistent with the VA National Formulary and national, VISN, and local initiatives. 8. Collaborates with advanced ADPAC to maintain computer database -drug, pharmacist, signature, allergies, security, accessibility- and install and test all HRA computer program patches. 9. Helps direct and coordinate implementation of VISTA and CPRS routines and other automated systems in Pharmacy Service. 10. Designs computerized files, templates, and databases to obtain automated clinical and administrative data used by Pharmacy Service to produce clinical and managerial reports. Provides data upon request. 11. Tests and verifies packages within the ISC specified time frames and before activation in production. 12. Determines site parameters for each assigned site and loads data as needed for implementation. 13. Performs or delegates user support responsibilities for trouble-shooting common software and hardware problems. Advises on trouble-shooting maintenance and ordering of computer related supplies to those staff responsible for them. 14. Advises IRM as to problems that require their intervention. 15. Actively engages with stakeholders at various levels to gather feedback and foster improvements to pharmacy informatics solutions and services. 16. Engages in continuous learning and improvement activities to stay updated with pharmacy informatics and healthcare IT developments. 17. Ensures compliance with all relevant regulations and standards, including those related to data privacy and security (e.g., HIPAA, VA policies). Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 92025-0, GS-13 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program -EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN10HREDRPSLRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more. Permanent Change of Station- PCS: Not Authorized