Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, PACT

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

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Major duties include but are not limited to:

Program Management

• Shares responsibility for the overall management of the clinic, including but not limited to developing & maintaining clinic grids, sustaining clinic utilization, managing missed opportunities, coordinating clinic cancellations, and restructuring as needed to maintain patient care in response to staffing needs.
• Accepts a shared responsibility in the development and ongoing review of all policies and operating procedures specific to the clinical practice area.
• Responsible for the appropriate, effective, and safe use of pharmaceuticals within the practice area. Initiates quality assurance and improvement activities, including but not limited to medication use evaluations, medication management, monitoring and safety, criteria development, and policy creation and/or revision, that demonstrate improved patient care outcomes.

Clinical Functions

• Provides clinical coverage in the pharmacist-run clinics in Primary Care and other clinics as assigned.
• Medication Management: Operates independently under a defined scope of practice to initiate, change, and discontinue prescription and OTC medications, devices, and supplies in an outpatient clinical pharmacy practice setting. In collaboration with the appropriate provider, provides additional advanced medication services outside of defined clinical scope without need for provider co-signature and excluding controlled substances. In collaboration with the appropriate provider, provides additional advanced medication services outside of defined clinical scope without need for provider co-signature and excluding controlled substances (unless specifically included in individual scope of practice and individual licensure).
• Offers expert knowledge and advanced skills in pharmacology, therapeutics, drug-drug interactions, and medication safety.

Distributive Functions

• Verifies computer prescriptions (with provider order entry) for patients in their assigned clinic area or other areas as assigned.
• Directs pharmacy technician support, where applicable.
• Coordinates medication orders with central pharmacy or CMOP when necessary.

Educational Functions

• Precepts pharmacy students and PGY-1 and PGY-2 pharmacy residents, including providing constructive feedback on the quality of the educational experience and preceptor interaction/involvement.
• Participates in the education and training of new employees or employees introduced to selected practice areas.
• Participates in the ongoing education, business activities, and policy review of medical center staff as it relates to the provision of drug therapy and drug information as necessary.

Administrative Functions

• Assumes ownership of administrative activities related to the advanced practice setting, including promptly reviewing consults, accurately completing and closing encounters, independently resolving provider and patient care issues, and ensuring appropriate coverage for clinical services.
• Responsible for staying current on changes in the Pharmacy Service (i.e., formulary additions and deletions, interdepartmental memoranda, relevant station memoranda, and policies & procedures), as well as changes in clinical practice standards and guidelines. Incorporates departmental and standards of care into clinical practice where needed.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8am - 4:30pm. Work schedule is subject to change based on agency needs.

Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Ad hoc is defined as occasional, non-recurring telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 63356F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact [redacted], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

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.

• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education: Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (B.S. 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.)
  
  • 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.

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). All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (6/7/2012) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-660 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions; (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation; and (3) If a licensed pharmacist who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the GS-13 requirements, must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12). Experience includes, but is 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 at the GS-13 level must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (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.

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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is the GS-13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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

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.