Summary

The clinical pharmacist specialist works within the inpatient practice setting to promote the optimal use of medications in view of patient disease state(s) and clinical response.

Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provide pharmaceutical care.
• Ensure the safe and appropriate use of medications and medical items.
• Promote the optimal use of medications (including prevention of improper or uncontrolled use of medications).
• Educate healthcare professionals, the patients and the public in pharmacotherapy.
• Filling and/or compounding prescriptions.
• Bulk compounding.
• Prepare I.V. admixtures.
• Ward inspections.
• Participate in medication management to include designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments. Additionally, ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy; and therapeutic substitution as per protocol or provider consultation and medication reconciliation.
• Participate in daily multi-disciplinary team rounds (when applicable) and provides drug information, observations 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, i.e., antibiotic streamlining, anti-coagulation monitoring, pharmacokinetic dosing, drug interaction evaluation etc.
• Medication reconciliation process: Interviews and evaluates patients upon admission to the hospital, daily during hospitalization and upon discharge for appropriateness of pharmacologic therapy; designs a pharmaceutical care plan as appropriate and documents the pharmaceutical care plan in the patient's electronic medical record. Process and/or ensure the processing of all discharge medications for the assigned patient care area.
• Providing appropriate recommendations to providers regarding anti-thrombolytic therapy for inpatients and coordinating transfer of patients to the Outpatient Anticoagulation Clinic.
• Support the Allergy/ Adverse Drug Reaction Program.
• Administrative aspects, including patient status, controlled substances control, procurement procedures, prepackaging log records, prescription control, AMIS reports and other details peculiar to the operation of this section.
• Screen prescriptions for over-dosage, drug interactions and drug overlap.
• Counsel patients concerning their medications regarding proper methods of administration, potential side effects and any appropriate precautions.
• Coordinate with and support the unit dose drug distribution system and interact with Nursing Service personnel and the Medical Staff in resolving all drug related problems.
• Proficient in screening physicians' orders for over-dosage, incorrect strengths, drug incompatibilities, interactions, overlaps and any other uncommon situations.
• Provide drug information education and training to pharmacy residents, interns students and in-service training for staff pharmacists and technicians.
• Responsible for special formulations, compounding procedures and extemporaneous compounding of routine and special medications, this is especially true when knowledge is required in a specific area where a precedent or official guideline is lacking.
• Serves as a reference source and guide to proper I. V. therapy and scientific compounding techniques for physicians, nurses and other members of the health care team.
• Well versed in the latest LV. admixture techniques, LV. equipment and intravenous information references. Integral to this is the understanding of the critical nature of infection control procedures and the importance of maintaining a clean, aseptic medication preparation area.
• Thorough knowledge of drug stabilities and reconstitution requirements enabling the recognition of incompatibility, overdoses, and contraindications in prescriptions and doctor's orders.
• Participates in planning, developing and the implementation of new Pharmacy programs and procedures.
• Orientation and on-the-job training of pharmacy students/interns, pharmacy technicians and newly hired pharmacists.
• Designs and/or participate in research studies or outcomes research involving drug therapy or clinical pharmacy functions.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 7:00am - 3:30pm

Telework: Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

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.) or 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.
• 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-13 - Clinical Pharmacy Specialist.

Experience. Must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level* (GS-12).

*Examples of duties at the GS-12 include, but are not limited to: 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; 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.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
• Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
• Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
• Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Preferred Experience:

• Previous experience working in an acute care setting PGY-1 residency (PGY-2 in acute care preferred).
• Board Certification.

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-13.

Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. It may require, extended periods of continued walking/standing up to 8 hours, stooping, sitting, bending, reaching above shoulders, moderate carrying, moderate lifting, pulling, and/or pushing. In addition, applicants must be able to distinguish basic colors.

Education

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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.