Summary

GS-13 Facility Program Manager - Pharmacy Medication Quality and Safety

The Pharmacy Medication Quality and Safety Program Manager will develop, organize, coordinate and manage the Medication Quality and Safety programs at all points of care (inpatient and outpatient). The Pharmacy Medication Quality and Safety Program Manager plays a role in budgetary execution and formulary management. This position requires extensive knowledge and skill in using Medication Safety databases.

Duties

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VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Program Management - Medication Safety and Quality: The Pharmacy Medication Quality and Safety Program Manager plans, and coordinates Centralized department approaches to medication safety and quality, and works closely with Fargo VA HCS Patient Safety staff and clinical leadership to improve medication use systems across the organization. Activities include:

i. Data collection, analysis, and review of medication safety events and practices in JPSR and adverse drug reactions in VA ADERS.

ii. Manages VA ADERS and ensures information is entered correctly and timely. Addresses all concerns in an appropriate manner.

iii. Reviewing and assessing compliance with VHA Directives/Handbooks, DEA, AWE, OIG and Joint Commission standards and assisting with the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulatory and accreditation medication safety standards.

iv. Working with resources published by the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS), Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM), the Center for Medication Safety (VA MedSAFE), the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), and the FDA, disseminates information on medication-related patient safety issues to appropriate clinical staff and committees and collects and analyzes data as necessary.

v. Working closely with pharmacy management, Patient Safety Office, and facility clinical leadership to resolve medication safety issues and ensure that processes for medication reconciliation, inventory management, prescribing, verifying, dispensing, administration, and monitoring medication therapy minimize the potential for adverse events and optimize use.

vi. Serving as pharmacy representative to the Quality and Patient Safety Committee and medication related RCAs to include annual aggregate when appropriate.

vii. Serving as a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (P&T), if requested.

viii. Serving as the Pharmacy Champion for Antimicrobial Stewardship.

ix. Serving as the delegated facility POC for Medication Reconciliation.

x. Oversight of national, VISN, and local medication use evaluations (MUE) programs and works with facility Quality Coordinators and other Pharmacy Program Managers to develop, monitor and report ICC and department MUEs to P&T Committee.

xi. Routinely review, optimize, and monitor medication use system technology.

xii. Collaboration with pharmacy management and clinical ICCs to coordinate pharmacy service continuous readiness for all regulatory bodies including The Joint Commission, CARF, AWE, OIG, VACO, and VISN.

xiii. Serving as the pharmacy representative for Quality, Safety, Value Council and completes all required reporting.

xiv. Working with pharmacy leadership and staff to identify areas of inefficiency and developing solutions to streamline processes, reduce waste, save costs and improve patient care.

xv. Completing drug recalls timely and accurately. Overseeing all drug recalls and ensuring appropriate action is taken. Sending appropriate notification for patient level drug recalls in coordination with the Pharmacy Chief.

xvi. Serving as the 'Ticket' Solution Specialist for the Federal EHR. Works in collaboration with ADPAC, Informatic Pharmacist, Pharmacy leadership and applicable staff.

Administrative Program Services: Incumbent will provide administrative program support to Pharmacy. Activities include:

i. Assist with development or review of policies and procedures for optimization of medication safety and quality workflows as indicated.

ii. Incorporating data analysis to drive medication safety and quality optimization.

iii. Actively serving and participating in Fargo VA HCS, VISN and National committees and workgroups, as assigned and as aligned with job functions.

iv. Utilization of continuous quality improvement methods to detect and define problems, and implementation of corrective actions to solve problems and improve performance.

Pharmacist Duties:

i. Interacts with treatment team members to optimize drug treatment; develops and assesses target outcomes. Communicates effectively in meetings, in personal conversations, and in written progress notes or consultations.

ii. Participates as necessary in a range of staff pharmacy duties, including PADR adjudication, order verification and completion, medication preparation and dispensing in inpatient and outpatient settings as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

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

All requirements must be met by the close date of this announcement, 09/08/2026.

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: 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. 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.
• 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 Facility Program Manager

Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-12.

AND

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

a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.

b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.

c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.

d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.

e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Preferred Experience: Medication Safety, problem solving

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: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Grandfathering Provision. All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard 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.

(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.

Education

Important: You must submit a transcript with 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

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 r