Summary

The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist - exercising full professional authority - knowledge - and judgment in the delivery of outpatient pharmacy services. Key responsibilities include training and rotating through the various tasks in the outpatient pharmacy - including the controlled substance vault - conducting inventory counts - and maintaining accurate inventory. The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist accurately interprets physicians' orders - filling and dispensing medications.

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.) English Language Proficiency
• Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English
• 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 licens e 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 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
• Licensed Pharmacist 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-12 Clinical Pharmacist: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2 - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level - or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program
• In addition to the above experience/education - Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs): 1
• 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is 12
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-12
• Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion - involving standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time - typing - walking
• Additionally - occasional lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies may be required - and bending - stooping or stretching.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Assigned duties but not limited to: Provides the full range of resources as a medication expert in drug information covering a wide range of therapeutic classes
• Reviews the patient's medication profile for therapeutic appropriateness and any possible drug allergies - incompatibilities - interactions - duplications - or compliance problems - and when necessary - advise other members of the interdisciplinary team to ensure safety
• Serves as the pharmacy representative on interdisciplinary teams when assigned
• Responsibilities include - but are not limited to reviewing patient medication profiles - monitoring outcomes - and/or recommending alternative therapy
• Must have appropriate knowledge of disease states and clinical pharmacology
• Provides medication counseling to patients - their families - and caregivers
• Adjudicates Community Care prescriptions - including assessing authorizations - determining eligibility - prescription evaluation (including appropriateness of prescription) - nonformulary management - PDMP inquiries - and other relevant interventions Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse - alerting the prescribing provider - and assisting in resolving problems as encountered
• Fills prescriptions timely - reviewing the patient's allergy history - drug-drug - drug-nutrient - drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance
• Checks work performed by technicians and students - such as prescription set-ups - prepackaging of unit of use medications - and compounded products for completeness and accuracy
• Maintains adequate drug stock - inspects drug storage areas - assists with prepacking and the operation of automated dispensing equipment
• Maintains professional competency by staying updated on medical and pharmaceutical literature and participating in continuing education programs Plays an active role in the pharmacy training program - supervising and participating in on-the-job training for students - externs - interns - residents - and staff
• Conduct and maintains controlled substance inventories - including stock levels - expiration dates - storage conditions - and budget control
• Assists in developing and maintaining policy and procedures related to controlled substances
• Ensures consistent adherence to Medical Center and Pharmacy policies and procedures
• Assists in developing and updating medication-related policies and operational procedures within the practice area
• The pharmacist independently plans and executes necessary procedures - resolving issues and correcting errors according to established protocols or accepted pharmacy practices
• Customers are treated in a professional manner - with tact - courtesy - and respect - incompliance with the ICARE core values
• Instills confidence and trust with supervisors - peers - and subordinates by providing timely and quality service
• Meets established time frames and deadlines in area of responsibility
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm - or 8:00am-4:30pm (Subject to change based on agency need.) Telework: Ad-HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 59963F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized