Summary

The clinical pharmacist is the primary professional pharmacy staff member responsible for the daily operations of the pharmacy medication management

systems, to include ward stock, unit dose and outpatient prescription dispensing, investigational drugs, and ambulatory care pharmacy programs. Within these integrated systems, the Clinical Pharmacist provides clinical, informational, and distributive functions to ensure the safe, cost effective, and appropriate use of drugs within the FHCC.

Duties

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FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF PRACTICE:

The Clinical Pharmacist will be involved in the independent professional practice of pharmacy in accordance with the guidance set forth in FHCC policies and procedures, VA regulations, DHA/DoD regulations, and state and federal laws governing the practice of pharmacy. The clinical pharmacist will be under the administrative supervision of the supervisor of the section assigned (Outpatient Pharmacy). The clinical pharmacist may be scheduled and assigned to all areas of pharmacy practice and must possess the required knowledge and skills in order to perform the required

functions.

CLINICAL:

1. Drug Therapy Monitoring - Drug therapy monitoring should be conducted by clinical pharmacists in all areas of pharmacy practice as an ongoing

activity. Drug therapy monitoring includes an assessment of the following:

• The therapeutic appropriateness of the patient's drug regimen.
• Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen.
• The appropriateness of route and method of administration.
• The degree of patient compliance with the drug regimen.
• Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug-disease interactions.

2. Pharmacist Intervention - Relevant findings from drug therapy monitoring activities must be communicated to other health care professionals who are responsible for the patient's care to increase the effectiveness and minimize potential risks of drug therapy. In consultation with prescribers, the interpretation of such data will generally stimulate clinical pharmacist recommendations for revision of drug therapy plans.

3. Monitoring, detecting, documenting, reporting, and managing of adverse drug events.

DISTRIBUTIVE:

The clinical pharmacist is responsible for preparing, dispensing, and distributing a wide variety of pharmaceutical preparations safely, appropriately, and

accurately in all medication management systems within outpatient pharmacy, i.e., unit dose, investigational drugs, ward stock, automatic replenishment, and ambulatory care. Within each system, the clinical pharmacist will ensure compliance with regulatory policies regarding medication labeling, inventory management, formulary management, equipment management, and timeliness of service. The clinical pharmacist provides

supervision to pharmacy support staff in the distributive function. Ambulatory care prescriptions, compounded non sterile products, unit dose drugs, and other orders prepared by pharmacy technicians will be checked for accuracy by a pharmacist in their assigned area prior to distribution or dispensing.

EDUCATION:

1. Patient Education - The clinical pharmacist shares a mutual responsibility with other health care practitioners for providing drug-related patient

education and counseling. Using suitable oral, written, or audiovisual communication techniques and methods, the pharmacist will inform, educate, and counsel patients about their drug therapy in order to maximize proper use of medications and therefore improve therapeutic outcomes.

2. FHCC Pharmacy Staff Education - The clinical pharmacist is responsible for providing the FHCC staff with accurate, comprehensive information

about drugs and their use and shall serve as the FHCC primary resource for meeting its drug information responsibilities.

Work Schedule: Rotating weekdays and weekends.

Compressed/Flexible:N/A

Telework: N/A

Virtual: This is not a virtual position. N/A

Functional Statement #: 09207F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: N/A

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): N/A

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

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:

(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.) (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

OR,

Foreign Education:

(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).(CERTIFICATION REQUIRED)

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).

Grade Determinations:

Assignment: A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. These include, but are 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 assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs):

• 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.

**** NOTE: Experience must be well documented in Resume/CV to qualify for the position. ****

Preferred Experience: In addition to basic Qualification Standard: completion of ASHP-accredited PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency or equivalent experience in the major duties for at least 3 years.

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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

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.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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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.