Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist for Neurology assists the neurology service and primary care providers in co-managing high risk patients treated for neurological conditions. This position requires specialization in drug therapy management and monitoring in patients with headache, migraine, neuropathy, seizures, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, tremor.

Duties

Help

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Monitors medication therapy for neurologic conditions, including initial assessment of new patients (initiates patient agreements, chart review, takes history, orders and evaluates lab tests, medication reconciliation) and follow-up of patients in clinics.
• Makes recommendations to other team members to optimize drug therapy, prevent and manage adverse drug events and reduce medication errors.
• Provides drug information for physicians, nurses, trainees, and other health care professionals.
• Participates in interdisciplinary care conferences (SCAN-ECHO) related to the Neurology program.
• Promotes rational medication management strategies utilizing current VA resources and the development of medication management protocols.
• Provides and coordinates medication management services for patients in the designated clinic(s) according to a broad scope of practice focused on disease state management. This shall include: 1. Initiating, discontinuing and/or changing medications through the electronic medical record 2. Ordering labs and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy 3. Managing care across the continuum of the health care system 4. Referring patients to appropriate health care providers 5. Performing physical assessments as needed 6. Performing patient triage functions as needed.
• Provides patients and family members with information about their medication regimen, and counsels them on appropriate use and expected adverse effects.
• Supervises and precepts pharmacy residents and students as assigned.
• Presents lectures and conferences to medical, nursing, and pharmacy staff and students concerning neurology medication therapy.
• Participates in pharmacy research and supports medical center human research involving drugs.
• Assists in coordinating staff and resident research projects, presentations, and publications.
• Acts as a liaison between the Neurology program, primary care providers, and the outpatient pharmacy.
• Participates in quality improvement activities related to assessing the effectiveness of neurology management services.
• Ensures appropriate medication use of high-cost drugs through non-formulary reviews.
• Performs drug utilization reviews when assigned to monitor prescribing practices.
• Evaluates physician orders as to appropriateness based on the patient's medication profile, inputs information into the computer system, and dispenses medications and supplies.
• Clarifies new medication orders with physicians and nurses.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm

Telework: Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

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 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.) 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:

• Residency training.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.