Clarification from the agency

Open to VISN 12 Current Permanent VA Employees, and Past/Current/Upcoming VHA HPT Graduates.

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The Clinical Pharmacist serves as a primary professional pharmacy staff member and functions independently to provide support to clinical and operational activities as assigned. The incumbent must be highly organized and demonstrate a concerned and critical attitude toward accuracy, detail, control, and loss management and function with minimal supervision. Serves as the pharmacist in charge when supervisor is not on site. The incumbent is primarily responsible for managing and completing day to day tasks as assigned including but not limited to completing order verification, checking all prescriptions prior to final dispensing, overseeing non-sterile compounding, coordinating patient care with various health care providers, providing patient education, completing discharge counseling. The individual must understand current practice standards from ASHP, Joint Commission, VA PBM Guidance, VHA Directives, VHA Handbooks, Hospital Policy, and Procedures, EPRP, Quality Measures, and/or other professional standards and advise the organization and the department of their impact on patient care.
Uses the electronic health record to review patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required.

• Interviews and evaluates patients in acute and ambulatory settings for appropriateness and accuracy of pharmacologic therapy and makes a patient centered care plan for those patients who need pharmaceutical care and will document the medication care plan in the medical record.

• Enters and documents medication errors or findings in the medication reporting system. (5) Documents pharmaceutical care plan and interventions performed in electronic health record and/or facility specific programs in accordance with policies and facility by-laws. (6) Apply knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognizes significant abnormalities, and makes dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings.
• Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable and as assigned.
• Supports effective drug usage criteria approved by the national VHA Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM), VISN PBM and local Pharmacy & Therapeutic (P&T) which help to ensure quality patient care in a cost-effective manner. Ensures appropriate utilization of the VHA formulary by health care providers.
• Assumption of limited prescribing patient care management functions under appropriate supervision or per protocol. Prescriptive authority will be established as outlined in the employee's scope of practice (if applicable).
• Utilizes motivational interview skills with patient, family, caregiver, and other healthcare professionals to collect patient-specific data, conduct medication history, and identify additional data needed for medication review assessment and medication reconciliation.
• Designs and/or participates in quality assurance projects/research studies or outcomes research involving drug therapy or clinical pharmacy functions.
• Assists in medical emergencies and high-risk scenarios, when applicable. The Clinical Pharmacist ensures appropriate selection of medications, dosages, and administration, and provides recommendation on routes and dosages for alternatives medications if warranted.
• Medication Dispensing and Distribution-Responsible for processing all electronic orders for assigned team as requested or needed including verifying patient information, correct medication dose, route, and frequency of administration. All orders are checked for patient allergies, drug interactions, incompatibilities, duplication, and priority.
• Identifies, interprets, and resolves prescribing and dispensing issues, including pharmacotherapeutics and the formulary. Documents interventions within the specified timeframe if applicable.
• As needed will need to be capable to assist in coordination of the activities of the assigned pharmacy technicians and pharmacy volunteers engaged in the preparation, labeling, dispensing, manufacturing, and delivery of medications and other pharmaceutical supplies in accordance with physician orders.
• Dispenses controlled substances with accuracy according to current policies and procedures.
• Administration /Technical support.

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 probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• 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.

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: (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.

• 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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.