Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Responsibilities The Pharmacist will serve as the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) to provide highly innovative and progressive clinical pharmacy services and developing and directing clinical pharmacy programs in assigned areas. Clinical pharmacy duties are also performed in other areas of the Medical Center as necessity requires and time permits. Duties of the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist may include, but are not limited to: Assures the safe, appropriate, cost-effective use of drugs in assigned patientcare areas through the application of specialized knowledge and the use of judgment in the collection and interpretation of data specific to each patient and in tactful interactions with other professionals. Provides accurate, up-to-date, relevant drug information and drug literature analysis to health care professionals and acts as a therapeutic consultant on matters of a high degree of complexity and difficulty. Makes recommendations to providers to improve patient care and enhance patient safety. Evaluates non-formulary drug request through in-depth evaluation of the patient's condition and recommends alternatives when indicated and completes consults within established timeframes. Interviews selected patients to determine medication history for potential drug interactions, therapeutic duplications, efficacy of current medication regimens, compliance patterns and/or drug reactions and acts to resolve any problems. These findings are documented in the medical record and reported to the primary provider. Evaluates and ensures optimal medication regimens for patients through analysis of medication profiles, laboratory data, other medical and social data, and direct patient observation. Identifies drug related problems such as allergies, toxicities, improper dosage regimens, etc., which may require individualized treatment, adjustment of dose, or change of drug, and communicates this information to the provider. Assists providers in developing effective, least toxic, and most economical, drug treatment plans by weighing the risk: benefit and cost: benefit of various therapeutic alternatives. Assists providers in developing individualized dosing regimens based on the pharmacokinetics of the drug(s) selected, disease status, and the medication history of individual patients. Educates patients on the proper use and care of their medications including, but not limited to, any changes made in the current medication regimen. Serves as clinical pharmacist specialist to the medical staff, responding to requests from practicing clinicians or referrals from staff pharmacists regarding difficult therapeutic problems with a high degree of complexity. This requires that the incumbent remain current in clinical pharmacology. The consultation will require a comprehensive review of the patient's medical background and direct communication with the prescribing provider. Provides constant review and evaluation of new products. Products are evaluated for efficacy, ease of use and cost effectiveness. Establishes a general chart monitoring procedures for acute care services. Develops specific pharmacotherapy monitoring guidelines for the assigned patient care areas when need is indicated. Periodically reviews drug therapy prescribing patterns of professional staff in the acute care areas. Assumes responsibility for completion and documentation of adverse drug reactions. Maintains effective liaison with staff members of all professional disciplines and services for consultation regarding drugs, pharmaceutical problems and pharmacy operating policies and procedures. Recommends change of procedures when necessary. Routinely apprises the Clinical Pharmacy Supervisor of any problems and the cost impact of changing prescribing patterns and offers recommendations for consideration by management. Conducts and documents appropriate education programs for medical and allied healthcare personnel. Provides drug information and drug literature analysis as requested by the professional staff. Develops, conducts, and coordinates any ongoing in-service education programs. These programs cover all aspects of drug use, including clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, etc. Incumbent actively participates in pharmacy research projects either by acting as a Principal Investigator, a co-investigator or consultant and participates in the design, protocol submission, process and documentation of clinical drug investigations. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 11:00 am - 7:30 pm (subject to change based on needs of the facility) Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 580-02323-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Demetrius.Roberts@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. 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. 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 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 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-13: Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs:) 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: Completion of PGY1 training and preferably PGY2-trained in Emergency Medicine or Board Certified in Emergency Medicine Pharmacy (BCEMP) 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-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. 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 for 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.
