Summary

The Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy Supervisor manages and coordinates pharmacy activities in ambulatory patient care settings within the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System. The Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy Supervisor provides pharmaceutical care to patients and optimizes patient care outcomes and functions at the highest level of clinical practice.

A recruitment/relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified individual.

Duties

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Clinical

• Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential medication interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required.
• Reviews and implements Pharmacotherapy and treatment guidelines during direct patient care or via recommendations to other providers.
• Documents clinical interventions accurately in CPRS in a timely and professional manner as appropriate.
• Serves as an authority on medication usage, interactions, over-dosages, and adherence to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians, and students.
• Monitors for and reports medication errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient adherence issues.
• Reviews literature routinely to provide an evaluation of efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness for routine patient care and projects as assigned.
• Reviews and evaluates requests for prior authorization/ non-formulary and restricted medications for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable.
• Promotes and monitors compliance for established medication therapy policies.
• Completes clinical reminders in an accurate and timely manner in CPRS as appropriate.
• Documents interventions using workload capture tools as instructed

Administrative/Supervisory

• Develops, establishes, and maintains written policies and procedures defining operational requirements.
• Supervises the implementation of service level programs, including clinical, operational, educational, and research activities.
• Provides first level supervision to pharmacists, technicians, trainees, and other staff assigned to ambulatory areas.
• Develops realistic and challenging performance standards to support the organizational mission, vision, and goals. Ensures employees meet performance standards and competencies and identifies areas of improvement as needed.
• Interviews employment candidates, makes selection recommendations, conducts performance reviews, recommends appointment, special advances, within grade increases or disciplinary actions to the Chief, Pharmacy Service, or Associate Chief, Pharmacy Service as appropriate.
• Promotes good labor management relations and supports Equal Opportunity program initiatives in daily activities.
• Establishes work schedules and allocates staff as needed to provide adequate coverage. Maintains time and attendance records and approves leave according to SAVAHCS policy.
• Assesses workload shifts, identifying backlogs and makes staffing adjustments as needed to meet organizational goals.
• Ensures assigned administrative projects and reports are submitted in a timely manner.
• Ensures employee competencies are completed within 90 days of start date for new positions and as needed.
• Ensure employee professional practice evaluations (e.g.Focused, Ongoing, Renewal PPEs) are completed.
• Ensures the pharmacy clinic areas (e.g. community-based outpatient clinics, HBPC, anticoagulation, primary care) are compliant with all regulatory and accrediting body requirements (e.g. Joint Commission, DEA, FDA, ASHP).

Education

• Serves as an effective preceptor, directing and supervising pharmacy residents and students as assigned.
• Assists in the development, enhancement, and operation of resident and student training programs.
• Participates in activities of interdisciplinary training and in-servicing of medical staff, nursing staff, residents, students, and other allied health professionals at SAVAHCS as required.
• Instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications. Adjusts communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations.
• Refers patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams.

Program Management

• Assists in planning and implementing Pharmacy quality assurance activities.
• Manages therapeutic plans according to best evidence or VHA and/or SAVAHCS published guidelines.
• Assists in the operations of the other areas of the Pharmacy Service including distribution and clinical work in other areas (e.g., medication order review and verification, relief help in other clinics or in the pharmacies as needed).
• Helps achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams.

Research

• Assists in designing and completing research studies involving clinical pharmacist functions, quality assurance, medication use evaluations, or pharmacotherapy.
• Participates in collaborative research studies involving medications therapy with other services.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 7:30AM - 4:00PM

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Relocation Incentives: A recruitment/relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified individual.

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 dentification 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:
  
  • 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.)
  • 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.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Pharmacy Supervisor

GS-13. Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) and meet the following Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs):

• Ability to effectively supervise subordinate staff.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards pertaining to pharmacy.
• Skill in managing people or programs.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Work includes some walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items such as paper and books. Most of the work is performed while seated.

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.

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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.