Summary

The Clinical Pharmacist is the primary professional pharmacy staff member - responsible for the daily operation of the pharmacy medication management systems of this affiliated tertiary care - teaching - medical - surgical - and research hospital - and outpatient pharmacy.

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)
• c
• 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)
• Grade Determinations: 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
• Assignment
• A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local - Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) - and national policies and regulations
• These include - but are not limited to: reviewing - interpreting - and verifying medication orders for appropriateness
• processing and filling medication orders
• interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care
• 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 (ADEs)
• assisting in medical emergencies
• providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution
• 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
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12
• Preferred Experience: VA Experience - outpatient pharmacy experience - non-sterile compounding - direct patient counseling - working knowledge of current practice standards from ASHP - Joint Commission - EPRP - Quality Measures and/or other professional standards
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: 1
• The incumbent must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the duties of this position
• 2
• The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion - involving sitting or standing for prolonged periods of time - frequent twisting/turning - and bending/stooping
• 3
• The incumbent must be able to perform lifting/carrying - pushing - or pulling different types of equipment such as cabinets - carts or supplies weighing at minimum 50 pounds through various terrains
• 4
• This position routinely prepares medications that requires special handling and documentation including but not limited to hazardous drug medications
• Must be able to wear appropriate respiratory and other personal protective equipment (i.e. - N-95's - PAPRs) as required by policy.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws The Clinical Pharmacist will be involved in the independent professional practice of pharmacy in accordance with the guidance set forth in Pharmacy Service and Hines Hospital policies and procedures - VA regulations - state laws - and federal laws governing the practice of pharmacy
• - The Clinical Pharmacist will be under the administrative supervision of a Pharmacy Supervisor
• - The Clinical Pharmacist may be scheduled and assigned to any pharmacy practice area - and must possess the required knowledge and skills in order to perform the following functions: The incumbent has responsibility for providing pharmaceutical care and pharmacotherapy services for patients and professional staff within out and inpatient services
• The goals are to optimize drug therapy and resource utilization
• Within this basic framework - the incumbent assumes the following duties and responsibilities: (1) Participate in daily multidisciplinary team rounds (when applicable) and provide drug information - observation on patient response to therapy and appropriate recommendations regarding treatment alternatives or additional interventions to maximize patient care outcomes taking into consideration choice of therapy - safety - efficacy - and pharmacoeconomics
• (2) Interviews and evaluates patients in acute and ambulatory settings for appropriateness and accuracy of pharmacologic therapy and makes a patient centered care plan for those patients who need pharmaceutical care and will document the medication care plan in the medical record
• (3) Provides care and/or services appropriate to the age of the patients being served
• Assesses data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age-specific needs and to provide care needed as described in the services' policies and procedures
• (4) Assumption of limited prescribing patient care management functions under appropriate supervision
• Prescriptive authority will be established as outlined in the employee's scope of practice (if applicable) (5) Provides consultative services to all professional staff and patients regarding medication therapy
• (6) Designs and/or participates in quality assurance projects/research studies or outcomes research involving drug therapy or clinical pharmacy functions
• (7) Drug Therapy Monitoring - Drug therapy monitoring should be conducted by Clinical Pharmacists in all areas of pharmacy practice as an ongoing activity
• (8) Pharmacist Intervention - Relevant findings from drug therapy monitoring activities must be communicated to other health care professionals who are responsible for the patient's care in order to increase the effectiveness and minimize potential risks of drug therapy
• In consultation with prescribers - the interpretation of such data will generally stimulate Clinical Pharmacist recommendations for revision of drug therapy plans
• The incumbent is expected to provide documentation of the outcomes of interventions to his/her supervisor
• (9) Pharmaceutical Care - The Clinical Pharmacist shall practice in a collaborative manner with other health care providers in the provision of pharmaceutical care to patient populations as specified in the competency assessment checklist for the position
• Pharmaceutical care is defined as the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient's quality of life
• Work Schedule: Various shifts available: 6:00am - 2:30pm
• 8:00am - 4:30pm
• 11:00am - 7:30pm
• Rotating weekends and holidays - off tour as needed
• Shifts will be discussed during the interview process
• Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized