Clinical Pharmacist - Outpatient

The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist serves primarily in the outpatient pharmacy area and provides a wide range of professional pharmacy services. The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist's (CP) principal duties include providing innovative and progressive clinical pharmacy services for outpatient primary care clinics, outpatient specialty clinics and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: Pharmacy services provided by the CP include: interpretation, evaluation, and approval of medication orders, therapeutic drug monitoring, evaluating, and monitoring laboratory tests, interpreting health record data for the purpose of assessing the suitability of medication orders, accurately dispensing medications in a timely manner, providing drug information to other health professionals, and counseling patients on medication use and storage. The CP reconciles medications, solves routine problems, and communicates findings and recommendations to other healthcare professionals. The CP may be granted a scope of practice with limited prescriptive authority. The CP participates in a variety of program areas within pharmacy service, including but not limited to medication management/prior authorization, pharmacy informatics, performance improvement, medication use evaluations, and quality control. The CP precepts pharmacy students and pharmacy residents. The CP assists with pharmacist and technician staff development through education, orientation, and training programs. FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: Duties include but are not limited to: Customer Service Treat patients, team members, other facility employees and visitors with dignity and respect. Respond to the needs of the Veteran and staff in a courteous and timely manner. Demonstrate appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service. Act as a team member and always support the team's efforts. Demonstrate an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality of services provided. Clinical • Direct Patient Care Activities that require a scope of practice Core functions include medication management in practice areas identified in the individual scope of practice. Design, implement, document, monitor and adjust therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas. Order, perform, review, and analyze appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Clinical • Indirect Patient Care Activities Review, interpret, evaluate, and approve patient medication orders and regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, route of administration, side effects, potential drug interactions, appropriate monitoring, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicate findings with prescribers and provide appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. Monitor and report drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Document findings per facility procedures. Apply knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognize abnormalities and the clinical significance of abnormalities, and make therapeutic adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. Pharmacy Operations Maintain competency in medication compounding, including appropriate preparation, stability, handling, beyond use dating, and disposal. Maintain competence in all operational aspects of outpatient pharmacy service, including all electronic medical record software, automation, labeling, packaging, dispensing, shipping, documentation, controlled substance accountability, inventory management, and Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) procedures. Supervise pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students in performance of any operational functions. Ensure workload is completed in a timely manner and prioritize tasks both personally and pharmacy wide to provide the most efficient and timely delivery service. Effectively communicate these priorities to pharmacy staff. Ensure accurate and timely dispensing and shipping of pharmaceuticals to meet patient care needs. Education and Research Maintain own professional competency by keeping abreast of information on new medications, current pharmacotherapy guidelines, innovations in pharmacy practice, and integrating this information into practice. Completes, in a timely fashion, all VA-mandated educational and training programs for pharmacy staff to help meet departmental and health system-wide goals and objectives. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm, rotating weekends and holidays Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized All requirements must be met at the time of the announcement closing. 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.) 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. 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. NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. § 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification. 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: GS-11 Pharmacist Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. 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. Creditable Experience: (1) 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. (2) 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). (3) 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. (4) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package. 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: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. A transcript must be submitted with your application. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.