Summary

The Clinical Pharmacist - Outpatient is responsible for all aspects of pharmacy care including clinical and operational duties in the outpatient pharmacy setting. The incumbent is a licensed professional with knowledge and proficiency in pharmacy practice including pharmaceutics - pharmacokinetics - pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics.

Qualifications

All requirements must be met at the time of the announcement closing.

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.) 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Grandfathering Provision
• All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series and grade held - including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• 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 basic requirements
• GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist Experience or Education: In addition to basic requirements - candidates must meet one of the following: 1 year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level - OR Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program
• AND Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): Pharmacists assigned to this 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
• Creditable Experience: (1) Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices
• To be creditable - the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice
• Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board
• (2) Residency and Fellowship Training
• Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for- year basis
• The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health- System Pharmacists (ASHP)
• A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination)
• (3) Quality of Experience
• Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level
• Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination
• (4) Part-time Experience
• Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example - a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service
• Preferred Experience: Previous outpatient pharmacy experience - residency trained Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• The incumbent is responsible for working with pharmacy department staff and the interdisciplinary team to ensure safe - effective - cost-conscious and patient-centered drug therapy
• This includes clinical assessment of drug therapy based on patient specific factors - recommending appropriate alternatives to optimize medication use - and providing drug information and education to health care professionals - patients - and caregivers
• The clinical pharmacist abides by regulations and standards relating to all aspects of distribution - control - and records for scheduled and non-scheduled prescription and over the counter medications and medical supplies
• Indirect patient care activities include pharmacy benefits management - staff development - quality assurance - medication utilization review - and teaching/mentoring to incorporate students - interns - residents - and other trainees into patient care
• Outpatient Clinical Pharmacy Program: The incumbent will provide clinical pharmacy services - support pharmacoeconomic activities - and is responsible for assessing - monitoring - managing - and documenting medication therapy for assigned patients
• Activities include: Participates in a patient-focused - team-based multi-disciplinary model of patient centered care to promote positive patient outcomes through direct and indirect interaction with patients - caregivers - nursing - providers - and other facility staff
• Documents patient education - relevant patient contact - and interventions in the medical record and in other documentation systems as appropriate
• Provides drug information - including treatment alternatives or additional interventions - to maximize patient care outcomes taking into consideration choice of therapy - safety - efficacy - and pharmacoeconomics
• When communicating with patients and caregivers - assesses age and learning readiness and modifies communication accordingly
• Outpatient Pharmacy Operational Services: The incumbent will be involved in the independent professional practice of pharmacy in accordance with the guidelines set forth in pharmacy service policies and procedures - VA Regulations - and federal laws governing the practice of pharmacy
• The incumbent will work in conjunction with other pharmacy staff and other health care professionals to form an organized team approach to the delivery of pharmaceutical care
• Activities include: Participates in outpatient work groups to develop and optimize processes to ensure the most efficient - safe - effective - educational - patient-centered - and team-focused outpatient pharmacy practice
• Effectively organizes workload to complete work within the assigned shift
• Solves problems independently whenever possible - working with co-workers and other health care professionals
• Discusses ongoing issues in a positive and constructive manner - utilizing continuous improvement techniques
• Participates in quality improvement activities - pharmacoeconomic initiatives (e.g. - drug conversions) - committees - and workgroups in support of pharmacy service goals and plans
• Education: Collaborates with management on pharmacy training and development - to assure continuance of high-quality services and improve the performance of pharmacists - pharmacy technicians - pharmacy residents and students
• Assures that all necessary documentation related to training is completed
• Participates in the clinical pertinence review and quality assurance audits to confirm the quality of care delivered to veterans - ensure patient safety - and identify areas for additional education and/or process improvement
• Interfaces with other health-care providers and administrators to ensure compliance with established pharmacy policies and procedures.
• Research: Follows research protocol criteria and study medication procedures
• Ensures that patients participating in drug studies have their medication needs met in a timely - cost-efficient manner
• Customer Service: Relationships with supervisors - co-workers and others within the organization must be consistently courteous and cooperative in nature and overall contribute to the effective operation of the office
• Demonstrates the ability to adjust to change or work pressure in a pleasant manner
• handle differences of opinion in a businesslike fashion
• follow instructions conscientiously
• and function as a team member - helping the group effort where possible
• Interacts with a wide variety of staff and demonstrates sensitivity to and an understanding of their needs by taking ownership of the problem and adopting the customers' needs as their own
• Work Schedule: Full-Time - Rotational - Shift Monday - Friday - assigned weekends and holidays Telework: If available - Ad-Hoc ONLY Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized