Career Center

Summary

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.

Qualifications

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
• 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
• 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.) (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
• 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 licens e 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
• 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 Determinations: GS-12 Experience or Education
• 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
• 4
• Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies - including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters
• Preferred Experience: : Inpatient pharmacy
• PGY-1 residency
• BCPS 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.

Duties

• A
• 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 is supportive of the group's efforts at all times
• 3) Demonstrates an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality
• B
• Clinical 1) 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
• 2) 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
• 4) Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy
• 5) Completes medication histories including patient interviews
• 6) Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers - other health care professionals - patients and caregivers
• 7) 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
• 8) 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
• 9) Assesses drug safety and efficacy - including evaluation of physical symptoms
• 10) Reports adverse drug events (ADE) - near misses - and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program
• 11) Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned
• 12) Participates in medical emergencies including code teams (if BLS or ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities
• 13) Provides pharmacokinetic consultation - including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides - in accordance with local policy
• 14) Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education
• 15) 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
• 16) Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy
• 17) Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy
• 18) Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents
• C
• Dispensing 1) Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness - drug selection - dosage - route of administration and the amount - prior to dispensing
• 2) Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record
• 3) 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
• 4) Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse
• problems encountered shall be resolved
• 5) 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
• Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable
• D
• Education 1) 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
• 2) Provides education to health care providers regarding medication use
• 3) Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students - externs - interns - residents - and professional and non-professional staff members
• 4) Conducts on-the-job training and provides guidance through designated programs
• Work Schedule: Compressed evenings Compressed/Flexible: Yes Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 554-55649-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized