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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• Responsible for managing and coordinating comprehensive pharmaceutical care activities withing the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and its community-based outpatient clinics.
• Provides highly innovative and progressive clinical pharmacy services inclusive of developing and directing clinical pharmacy programs in the Extended Care Line. Shared decision making is utilized to promote and deliver collaborative, evidence based, patient centered, comprehensive medication management in an interprofessional direct patient care setting on a team/in clinic. Clinical pharmacy duties are also performed in other area of the Medical Center as necessity requires and time permits.
• Has knowledge of clinical practice guidelines. The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, Veterans Affairs (VA) performance measures, VA Pharmacy Benefits Management (PMB) initiatives and integrates these standards into practice.
• Routinely functions as an advanced practice provider with prescribing privileges as outlined in their scope of practice working independently with minimal supervision, participating in such activities to enhance the role of pharmacy as an active member of the Extended Care Line. Interfaces with Veterans, medicine teams, and other disciplines in a clinic setting utilizing various treatment modalities such as face to face, telephone, and/or VA Video Connect (VVC) with face-to-face visits as the preferred modality unless alternative treatment modalities are requested by provider and/or Veteran of if other treatment modalities are not suitable for optimal Veteran care. If assigned to inpatient unit, attends, and participates in daily multidisciplinary rounds, team meetings, and other meetings as required (in person) unless the assigned team prefers virtual rounds and meetings.
• Has full and complete responsibility for operating the clinical pharmacy program in the assigned areas.
• Assures the safe, appropriate, cost-effective use of drugs in assigned patient care areas through the application of specialized knowledge and the use of judgement in the collection and interpretation of data specific to each patient and in tactful interactions with other professionals.
• Provides accurate, up-to-date, relevant drug information and drug literature analysis to health care professionals and acts as a therapeutic consultant on matters of a high degree of complexity and difficulty. Make recommendations to providers to improve patient care and enhance patient safety.
• Shares responsibility of drug usage evaluation with appropriate health care professionals. Actively participates in quality assurance programs.
• Provides education programs for patients and for pharmacy, medical and nursing staff.
• Supplies coverage to other clinical pharmacy areas as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:30pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility.

Telework: Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. 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.
• 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

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• 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.
• 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.
• (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).

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:

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist GS-13.

Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, must have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Demonstrated KSAs. The KSAs shown below apply to all assignments at this grade level.

• 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:

• Completion of a PGY-2 Residency in Geriatrics, Ambulatory Care, Internal Medicine, Pharmacotherapy; Board Certification (e.g., BCGP, BCPS, BCACP, or other applicable specialty certification);
• Prior experience practicing within a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility, Community Living Center (CLC), skilled nursing facility, long-term care setting, rehabilitation unit, spinal cord injury unit, hospice/palliative care service, or transitional care environment;
• Experience functioning under an advanced scope of practice with authority to initiate, modify, discontinue, and monitor medication therapy;
• Experience precepting pharmacy residents and students, participating in residency training programs, or providing formal staff education.

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: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that require normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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.

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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

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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.

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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.