Summary

The clinical pharmacist is a licensed professional with knowledge and proficiency in pharmacy practice including pharmaceutics - pharmacokinetics - pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics. The incumbent is responsible for analyzing real and potential drug-related medical problems and implementing corrective action to ensure that patients receive optimal drug therapy.

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:

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens 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://vvww.acpe-accredit.orgt (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
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d)
• 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)
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2 - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates GS-12 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
• 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
• 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
• Physical Requirements: The work environment is an inpatient pharmacy - an outpatient pharmacy - or a patient care area environment (including the Surgical Suite or Emergency Department)
• There may be extremes of temperature - distractions - noise from equipment or patient care activities
• Handles frozen and refrigerated products often
• May be required to use heating equipment
• Exposure to negative and positive air pressure rooms is also possible
• Must be able to don/doff protective garments and use equipment as necessary for assignment
• May work with cleaning and disinfecting products occasionally
• Must have the use of fingers
• both hands required
• Twisting and grasping of bottles and vials or syringes occurs frequently
• Some lifting (25 lbs.) - stretching and forward and overhead reaching is involved
• Walking and standing 8-12 hours
• repeated bending 8 hours
• both legs required
• May have to kneel to retrieve product(s) from lower cabinets or the floor
• Must be able to rapidly coordinate mental and muscular duties simultaneously
• Computer keyboard activity and computer monitor use is frequently performed
• May be required to operate robotic packaging machinery and automated dispensing devices
• Fine motor skills (for packaging and counting) and excellent visual acuity (for expiration date - tablet identification - and prescription interpretation) are required
• Near vision correctable @ 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
• far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other - depth perception
• ability to distinguish shades of colors
• Hearing acuity is required for phone communication - patient counseling and professional communication (hearing aid use is permitted)
• May be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials or other parts of the facility - carrying of light objects such as books and reports
• May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• Must be a mature - flexible sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• Works closely with others
• May have protracted or irregular hours of work
• Shift rotation is commonly required.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws 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 via notes in the electronic health record
• 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 Reports adverse drug events (ADE) - close calls - and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program and the hospital Joint Patient Safety Reporting (JPSR) program respectively Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program Participates in medical emergencies including code teams and emergency preparedness activities Provides pharmacokinetic consultation - including dosing vancomycin aminoglycosides and anticoagulants - 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 Dispensing: Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness - drug selection - dosage - route of administration and the amount - prior to dispensing Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record Fills all orders in a timely fashion
• a systematic review of the patient's allergy history - drug-drug - drug-nutrient - drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment of the clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse
• problems encountered shall be resolved Selects - compounds - dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations - special formulations - ophthalmics - narcotics - investigational drugs - oncolytic agents - etc. - in both outpatient and inpatient areas
• Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable Maintains adequate drug stock - inspects drug storage areas - supervises prepacking and the operation of automated dispensing equipment Supervises the activities of support personnel Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm - Monday through Friday Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: PD92505A and PD92505A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized