Summary The Pharmacy Quality Manager is a registered pharmacist that evaluates the provision of pharmacy services within the CCC to promote efficiency and effectiveness of patient care and build confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled. Incumbent will have expertise in applying quality assurance and clinical quality principles in the evaluation of pharmacy practice and to effectively develop, implement, coordinate, and sustain a comprehensive quality assurance program for pharmacy services Responsibilities Major Duties: Responsible and accountable for individual pharmacy practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the pharmacy technician and pharmacist's obligation to provide optimal care. Leads and implements the Pharmacy Quality Assurance (QA) Program according to standards and regulation Evaluates pharmacy processes to determine if improvements are needed. Reviews, audits, and implements corrective action, where needed, for all components of pharmacy related CCC processes including pharmacist ordering/prescribing, pharmacist review, clinical chart review audits, telephone call audits and pharmacy technician note review audits. Monitors medication errors and adverse drug reactions. Reviews data for trends and when system errors occur, works to correct processes. Initiates and/or leads interdisciplinary committees, task forces or groups to improve patient care at the program or VISN level. Leads an interdisciplinary team to conduct Root Cause Analyses for clinical adverse events and near miss events; develops action plans to reduce risk of recurrence; follows the progress of these action plans. Utilizes innovations and creative approaches for changing pharmacy practice at the program level, based on quality assurance findings. Evaluates effectiveness of pharmacy assessments and makes recommendations for consistency with population-specific care standards at the program level. Considers intended and unintended impact of any proposed changes on Veteran satisfaction within the program and makes recommendations for mitigation when negative impact is anticipated. Ensures all clinical pharmacists are part of pertinence review program. Identifies and provides all reviews to the pharmacist within the program and ensures reviews are completed. Coordinates regular meetings with the VISN CCC Pharmacy Program Manager and works with the VISN CCC quality management team on all reviews needing to be submitted for review. Is part of the CCC patient safety program and works closely with the Patient Safety Manager. Responsible and accountable for development, implementation, and maintenance of a Clinical Pharmacy Risk program, in coordination with other CCC entities. Suggests and implements changes, working with the VISN CCC Pharmacy Educator to coordinate training for pharmacy professionals on new procedures. Champions the internal event reporting system to improve uptake and use among pharmacy staff while creating a "just culture" to ensure staff feel safe reporting adverse and near-miss events. Participates in meetings, conferences, and training programs relevant to the development and maintenance of the VISN CCC quality standards. Supports, assists, and participates in relevant research efforts of the CCC where feasible. Provides feedback to and coordinates with the Pharmacy Educator to ensure employee training initiatives pertaining to quality assurance are well developed and executed. On an ongoing basis reviews Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Handbooks/Directives an all other pharmacy-related regulatory standards and assesses if standards are being met. Evaluates compliance of quality standards to meet requirements of accrediting bodies for the program. Providing staff education on regulations and standards. Working with pharmacy and CCC leadership to resolve issues where non-compliance is identified. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm PST Remote: This is a fully remote position. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a trial period. 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). 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 (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 60602-5109; phone: (312) 664-3575, 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.) School transcripts must be submitted with your application. OR 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). A copy of the FPGEC certificate must be submitted. 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. An active copy of unrestricted license to practice pharmacy must be submitted. 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. Facility Program Manager: Manages all aspects of a distinct program to include policy development, quality resources and specialty functions unique to the program to optimize cost effectiveness (budget) and patient outcomes. Coordinates a single program area of a complex pharmacy operation, or multiple program areas within a facility to develop, organize, manage, and control complex pharmacy programs. Develops, organizes, coordinates and manages 6 single or multiple program areas within the medical facility; this may include a single program area at multiple facilities. The Program Manager title is reserved for those individuals who have one or more of the following: supervisory responsibilities for various sections within Pharmacy Service; a complex program requiring coordination of multiple locations such as medical center care facilities, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), rural health, telemedicine, etc; specialized areas of a complex nature such as nuclear pharmacy, quality assurance, pharmacy informatics, clinical applications coordinator, Home Based Primary Care, pharmacoeconomist or liaison pharmacist duties requiring the coordination of processes with other medical facilities or VISNs. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the KSAs identified in subparagraph 3b(3)(b)1 above. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities 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: Two years of Pharmacy Quality Management and Educational experience. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: This is a primarily sedentary position. 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 or 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. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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.
