Summary The Clinical Pharmacist works in a large tertiary care medical center with a primary emphasis on inpatient care, outpatient care, and pharmacy-based clinical services. The medical center is affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and the Rutgers College of Pharmacy. The Pharmacy has three locations at EO, Lyons, and the Toms River. Pharmacists may be asked to work at any of the sites if needed. Responsibilities VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws A. Prepares and dispenses medication orders per physician request according to established policies, procedures and protocols. Interprets medication orders (verbal, written and electronic) and transcribes to computerized patient medication prescription labels/profiles accurately. Maintains accurate, complete patient medication profiles Accurately compounds and/or dispenses pharmaceuticals for various administration routes including, but not limited to: oral agents (tablets, capsules, liquids, etc.); topicals (ointments, creams, transdermal systems, etc.); parenterals (antimicrobial agents, cytotoxic chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition, etc.): supplies and ancillary items. Processes, dispenses and/or distributes controlled substances and maintains appropriate accountability and records as required by agency regulations and federal law. B. Ensures safe, appropriate, cost-effective medication therapies for patients according to established policies, procedures and protocols. Reviews drug therapy regimens for drug related problems including but not limited to indications/contraindications; drug-drug interactions; drug-food interactions; allergies; interpretation of culture and susceptibility data, appropriateness of drug and dose, etc. and takes appropriate action to safeguard patients through counseling, recommending changes to providers, etc., as needed.. Supports implementation and adherence to the formulary by complying with prescribing criteria; nonformulary processes; therapeutic substitution protocols; and promotion of rational drug therapy. C. Ensures safe, appropriate, cost-effective medication therapies for patients, in accordance with established policies, procedures, and protocols. Supports the development, implementation, and maintenance of clinical pharmacy services. Facilitates the development and implementation of treatment guidelines, protocols, formulary changes and critical pathways as approved by appropriate committees. Facilitates the identification of opportunities for, implementation of, removal of barriers toward, and communication regarding cost-effective medication use initiatives in collaboration with the medical staff. medications for compliance with current pharmacoeconomic programs and processing criteria based prescribing forms. Strives to ensure equitable distribution of workload in those categories. Provides clinical consultation including non-formulary consultation, and clarification to practitioners. Suggests appropriate, cost-effective therapeutic alternatives to medical staff as needed. Evaluates the pharmaceutical care needs of special populations for pharmacokinetic dosing parameters, and other pharmacotherapeutic considerations. Completes non-formulary evaluations as assigned. The expectation is to complete an average of two non-formulary reviews each work day. D. Provides education and information on pharmaceutical care and drug therapy. Provides accurate, adequate and timely drug information to the professional staff. Participates in preparation and presentation of drug reviews, DUE criteria, adverse drug reaction reports, and other materials as directed by the pharmacy management or designee. Reads and evaluates clinical literature for application to the pharmaceutical care needs of patients and in support of pharmacoeconomic programs. Contributes to the advancement of the profession through presentations at local,, state, regional and/or national meetings. Participates in facility and/or community educational programs. E. Contributes to improvement in quality and effective operation of the department. Reviews patterns of drug utilization for therapeutic effectiveness, therapeutic duplication and cost effectiveness and makes appropriate recommendations to providers in order to prevent, identify or resolve drug related problems and achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes. Assists in development of policies, procedures and/or programs and serves on teams related to the safe and effective use of medications, e.g., RCA teams, SOP and Memorandum review and development teams, etc. Documents clinical interventions via CPRS progress notes, encounter form and PharmD Tool. F. Maintains competency required for the current job title/position. Maintains current pharmacist licensure/registration and scope of practice (if applicable) for the area(s) assigned. Actively participates in staff development; new employee orientation; education and training programs. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Variable and Rotating Telework: Ad-hoc Functional Statement #: 21M00-A 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. 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 2 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). NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement: 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 of 38 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. GS-11 Pharmacist Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) 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. 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 Preferred Experience: Experience in both the ICU/Acute Care and Outpatient (Retail) settings preferred. 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. Physical Requirements: Work requires long periods of sitting, standing and walking, bending, twisting, and carrying items up to 25lbs. Fine motor skills for the manipulation of products are also required 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.
