The primary function of a clinical pharmacist is to assure the safe and appropriate use of medications and be an advocate of rational drug therapy through the following: evaluation of the appropriateness of drug therapy based on patient specific factors; individualization of drug therapy; evaluation, dispensing and providing medications, and drug information. 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: (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. (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. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). 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 Determination GS-12: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. 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. 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 GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. ["Clinical: 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. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen Appropriateness of the route and method of administration Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug disease interactions Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. Provides medication counseling to patients. 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, review 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. Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) 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. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule. Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy. Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the \"hold medication\" function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders using Service Reject. Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy. Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents. Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in-services to nursing, medical staff or to other ancillary services. The pharmacist is responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties. Supervisory: The incumbent is administratively accountable to a designated pharmacy manager. The incumbent is also accountable to the Chief, Pharmacy Service, or their designee, for professional licensure, competency and continuing education. Customer Service: Incumbent must meet the needs of customers while supporting VA Missions; consistently communicate and treat customers (Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA Staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner; provide customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures; and handle conflict and problems in dealing with customers constructively and appropriately. Work Schedule: 8-hour tour between the hours of 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday Telework: Ad-hoc Functional Statement #: 554-55100-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
