Clinical Pharmacist (Outpatient)

Summary

Provides comprehensive pharmaceutical care to Veterans by reviewing, verifying, preparing, and dispensing medications; evaluating drug therapies for safety and effectiveness; monitoring interactions and adverse reactions; and resolving medication-related concerns. Collaborates with healthcare providers, counsels patients, supports formulary management, maintains controlled substance accountability, oversees pharmacy technicians, and ensures compliance with applicable policies and regulations.

Duties

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GS-11: Pharmacist (Developmental)

• Prescription Review: Screens, evaluates, enters, and verifies medication orders for accuracy, appropriate dosing, interactions, allergies, contraindications, and formulary compliance.
• Medication Dispensing: Prepares, packages, and dispenses prescribed medications while ensuring accuracy, proper labeling, and timely delivery.
• Pharmacy Operations: Coordinates dispensing workflows, maintains medication inventories, and supports efficient pharmacy operations.
• Medication Safety: Identifies and resolves medication-related concerns, promotes cost-effective drug therapy, and consults with healthcare providers as needed.
• Technical Oversight: Supervises pharmacy technicians during medication preparation and dispensing, ensuring compliance with established procedures.
• Quality Assurance: Participates in medication safety initiatives, drug utilization evaluations, and pharmacy quality assurance activities.
• Training and Administration: Assists with staff training, student precepting, operational reporting, and administrative responsibilities under supervisory guidance.

GS-12: Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)

• Clinical Medication Management: Independently reviews, interprets, and verifies prescriptions to ensure appropriate drug selection, dosing, therapeutic effectiveness, and patient safety.
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Evaluates medication regimens, laboratory results, drug interactions, adverse effects, and patient-specific factors to identify and resolve medication-related problems.
• Prescription Processing and Dispensing: Oversees prescription processing, preparation, verification, and dispensing to ensure accuracy, timely delivery, and regulatory compliance.
• Patient Care and Counseling: Provides medication education, reconciles medication histories, addresses patient concerns, and collaborates with healthcare providers to optimize treatment outcomes.
• Formulary and Medication Management: Evaluates nonformulary requests, recommends therapeutic alternatives, implements approved substitutions, and supports medication utilization initiatives.
• Controlled Substance Accountability: Manages controlled substance inventories, reconciles discrepancies, maintains required documentation, and ensures compliance with DEA and VA regulations.
• Pharmacy Oversight and Quality Improvement: Provides technical oversight, supports staff education, monitors medication safety, reports adverse drug events, and participates in quality improvement activities.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am to 4:30pm and/or 10am to 6:30pm

Telework: Available, ad-hoc only, as determined by the agency policy.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 54446-F (GS-11), 54447-F (GS-12)

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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.
• Pre-Employment/Post-Employment Physical Examination: May be required, depending on the needs of the organization.
• 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.

Qualifications

HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment.

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 [redacted]; phone: [redacted], 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 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. a7 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.
  
  1. 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. a7 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.
  2. Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, pharmacists must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unlicensed pharmacist with the written requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. Failure to become licensed within 2 years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0660 Pharmacist series and may result in termination of employment.
• 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-11: Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement in subparagraph 2c(1) above.)

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 (GS-12) 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: Clinical Pharmacist - Outpatient

• 2 years knowledge of professional pharmacy practice experience preferably in the outpatient setting -Receives, interprets, inputs, and dispenses all written/electronic entry orders from health care providers using acceptable pharmacy practice standards.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
• 2 years ability to evaluate prescriber orders for appropriateness of therapy, incompatibilities, side effects, and interaction of drugs and drug products.
• 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.
• 2 years knowledge of Outpatient Pharmacy dispensing machine, preferably the Optifill.

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: Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds; Moderate carrying, 15-44 pounds; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (8 hours); Standing (8 hours); Kneeling (1 hours); Repeated bending (4 hours); Both legs required; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Specific visual requirement DVA Correctable to 20/40; Both eyes required; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid may be permitted)

Education

Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in 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/.

Additional information

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