Summary This assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. Responsibilities VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Major duties include, but are not limited to: GS-11 Clinical: 1. Providing pertinent information concerning the proper use of medications. 2. Providing drug information to physicians, nurses, and other associated healthcare professionals. 3. Acts as liaison between the wards or other patient care areas and the pharmacy distribution area, helping to solve problems, clarify orders, provide additional information needed, and to improve communications. Education: 1. Maintaining and obtaining clinical drug knowledge necessary to provide clinical pharmacy services. 2. Providing in-services to the nursing staff and other professional and paraprofessional groups. Administrative: 1. Assisting in the orientation and training of all new employees, students, technicians, and trainees, and assist in their evaluation by providing feedback as to their progress and performance. 2. Assuming the responsibility for the immediate supervision and operation of the area to which assigned; including the supervision of technicians and students, organizing work flow, and handling all routine problems and responsibilities associated with that area. Works generally with supervision by the pharmacy supervisor. GS-12 Clinical: 1. Performs patient medication profile reviews upon entering orders and utilizes knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics to evaluate orders for appropriateness. Ensures appropriate laboratory monitoring of drug therapy and provides pharmacokinetic services. Follows guidelines, protocols, and policies in performing these services. 2. Along with using prudent clinical judgment, the incumbent utilizes available resources including laboratory and other diagnostic data to communicate questionable therapy, non-formulary therapy or therapy outside of established criteria to prescribers and offers reasonable alternatives, responding to requests in a timely manner. 3. Provides medication and disease state management information and participates in other educational endeavors including patient and family education and medical/nursing staff education. 4. Participates in Drug Utilization Evaluations and actively documents and reports Adverse Drug Events in addition to medication errors. 5. Renews expired chronic medications to stable patients with future primary care appointments. Follows applicable policy and procedures when renewing prescriptions. Drug Dispensing: 1. Enters, processes, and/or edits new prescription orders from providers accurately 2. Processes refills, partials, renewal prescription requests timely 3. Accurately dispenses prescriptions, medication orders, and supplies. Fills prescriptions by selecting the correct drug and dosage form, reducing the drug from bulk to the quantity prescribed, compounding when necessary, then packaging and labeling the drug in an appropriate manner. 4. Exercises care in the dispensing of drugs, especially controlled substances, investigational and cytotoxic drugs, to assure that legal and agency regulations and instructions are followed, that proper and complete recordkeeping is maintained, and that the drug storage areas are stocked, safe, and secure. 5. Reviews the patient medication profile prior to dispensing drugs and medications.6. Responsible for special formulations, and for extemporaneous compounding of routine and special medications requiring complex compounding procedures.7. Checks technician-prepared orders when necessary Administrative: 1. The incumbent is knowledgeable of, adheres to and applies established policies and procedures during the performance of duties. 2. Incumbent is responsible for supervising the organization of workflow and finished products prepared by Pharmacy Technicians. The incumbent is also responsible for being cognizant of workload situations which may require his/her direct intervention to maintain Customer Service Standards and is a willing participant of the Pharmacy Team to assist colleagues in handling these workload situations when necessary. 3. Incumbent provides administrative consultations to patients and other CTVHCS employees concerning pharmacy policies, and regulations to resolve problems and or concerns in a caring, professional manner. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00 am- 4:30 pm, possibility of rotational "late shift" 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. (Selected applicant will serve at least one call-back weekend per month on a rotational basis) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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 Health Professional Trainee's: HPTs who have successfully completed or are expected to successfully complete an affiliate sponsored or VA Sponsored training program may be considered based on completing the requirements listed below by the date of appointment. Please ensure you provide all supporting documentation regarding your training program and expected completion. ***HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. 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 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.) 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. NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification. Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed. Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, pharmacists must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unlicensed pharmacist with the written requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. Failure to become licensed within 2 years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0660 Pharmacist series and may result in termination of employment. 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-11 Clinical Pharmacist Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. 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 the GS-12 position must demonstrate the following 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. Preferred Experience: At least 1 year pharmacy experience in hospital or other inpatient setting. At least 1 year outpatient and/or ambulatory care pharmacy experience. Pharmacy experience in Acute Psychiatric Facility Pharmacy experience in Mental Health/Behavioral Hygiene ambulatory setting Experience in medication distribution in Nursing Homes, Community Living Centers, or Assisted Living Communities References: VA Handbook 5005/55 Part II Appendix G15 Licensed Pharmacist Qualification Standard 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-11 or GS-12. Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15 - 44 lbs); Moderate Carrying (15 - 44 lbs); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (up to 2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (up to 4 hours); Standing (up to 8 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; Hearing (aid permitted). Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: If your school was accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the ACPE website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet. 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: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in 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 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.
