Summary The incumbent serves as a consultant to the Chief of Pharmacy and provides oversight of the activities assigned to Clinical Pharmacy Staff. The Associate Chief of Clinical Pharmacy Services also provides direct as well as indirect oversight of clinical pharmacy and pharmacy educational programs. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Providing leadership for clinical pharmacy programs and services throughout the VA Health Care System or Medical Center. Responsible for serving as Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) and providing clinical services within scope of practice. Establishes and/or comply with performance improvement indicators by monitoring clinical pharmacy program(s) and the pertinent medication management system(s) to ensure that the services provided promote positive outcomes. Ensures that medication information given to veterans and health care providers includes but not limited to general recommendations on the choice of approved formulary drugs, administration, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic issues, interactions, allergy or intolerances, and adverse drug reactions are informative, accurate and timely. Ensures that pharmaceutical care and direct patient care activities of subordinates are documented in the electronic medical record, and these activities are compliant with regulations, complete, accurate and timely. Promotes and supports appropriate workload capturing and ensures that quality assurance processes are in place and evaluates clinical competency of staff using validated tools such as Internal or External Peer Review Process, and other educations modules Monitors, coordinates, and manages National, VISN, and Facility goals for clinic utilization. Responsible for management of clinical practice which may involve scheduling, reviewing consults (including non-formulary requests), providing patient care, and always assuring coverage for clinical services. Responsible for the quality of education and experiences for PharmD students and Pharmacy Residents. Serves as program director, sponsor, and/or preceptor by coordinating/supervising the activities of senior PharmD students, postgraduate residents in clinical pharmacy practice. Identifies educational opportunities, priorities, makes provision for the development and training needs of subordinates. Coordinates educational program(s) and in-service for the staff of pharmacy services. Maintains and complies with research-related training and credentials requirement(s) for self and subordinates (includes IRB educational/training credentials), and whenever possible participate in scholarly activities. Directly or indirectly oversees clinical pharmacy research activities and projects including but not limited to prospective or retrospective data review projects aimed at improving the quality of patient care. Directs and inspects the work of subordinates for accuracy and timeliness. Supervises, orients, and trains employees and students to ensure acceptable quality and quantity of work in a timely manner. Develops performance plans and standards that are realistic, challenging, and relate whenever possible to organization goals. Actively supports the application of EEO and ensures that each employee in the section is aware of EEO policies. Serves as Co-Chair of P&T Committee. VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, subject to the needs of the service. Telework: AdHoc as determined by the agency policy. 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 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: You 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 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.); 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). 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: GS-14 Clinical Pharmacist (Associate Service Chief) Experience. In addition to the GS-13 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Assignments. Associate Service Chief. Responsible for coordinating multiple programs in pharmacy service in a medical facility. Serves as the Acting Service Chief in the absence of the Service Chief. Develops and maintains a system of internal reviews that ensure service programs operate at a satisfactory level of performance and in compliance with regulatory and accrediting bodies. Responsible for pharmacy utilization of resources and budget. Makes selections, assigns personnel, and serves as a mentor to help employees develop their full potential. Demonstrated KSAs. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): 1. Skill in persuading others and gaining cooperation to accomplish goals. 2. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing regarding complex clinical and technical issues. 3. Skill in utilizing regulatory and quality standards to develop and implement operational programs. 4. Skill in managing multiple and diverse people or programs. 5. Skill in utilizing available resources to support the mission and goals of the organization. 6. Ability to plan, organize and direct the functions of the pharmacy staff. Preferred Experience: Completion of a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and/or PGY2 Specialty Residency with a substantial component of direct patient care activities in pharmacotherapy; OR completion of a minimum of 5 years of pharmacy practice experience with a substantial component of direct patient care activities in pharmacotherapy; OR receipt of board certification through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). Also significant prior supervisory experience. 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-14. Physical Requirements: Must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the duties of the 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 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.
