Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, and current/past/upcoming VA Health Professions Trainee (HPT) Graduates. Veterans' Preference does not apply. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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PMOP Coordinator:

• The Facility Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMOP) Coordinator will support Facility Pain POC/Clinical Leads in the coordination of pain management, opioid safety, and prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP)-related initiatives and implementation of VHA and the Joint Commission standards.
• The PMOP Coordinators will work in close collaboration with the VISN PMOP Coordinator, Facility Pain POC/Clinical Lead, Facility Primary Care (PACT) Pain Champion, Academic Detailing pharmacists and other facility stakeholders to ensure implementation of PMOP initiatives in compliance with national policy, clinical practice guidelines, and regulatory requirements.
• The PMOP Coordinators will also support review of community provider opioid prescribing practices as required by the MISSIO

Clinical Practice Area:

• The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) will assist primary care providers in co- managing "high risk" patients treated with opioids for chronic, non-malignant, pain.
• "High risk" patients are those who present with multiple or recurrent aberrant drug-related behaviors and/or history of substance abuse (as defined by DSM) requiring close monitoring and ongoing assessment to evaluate substance misuse, substance abuse, pseudo addiction, and addiction.
• The CPS will provide comprehensive medication management of complex patients with chronic, nonmalignant pain by face-to-face, virtual and telephone encounters, indirect care and chart review

Clinical Functions - Indirect Patient Care Activities:

• The Facility PMOP Coordinator will provide professional consultation to VA medical facility management concerning planning and coordination of the programmatic responsibilities related to policy and services in pain management, opioid safety, and prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs).
• Developing processes/procedures to ensure implementation and compliance with national policy related to pain management, opioid safety and risk mitigation strategies, Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND), management of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), initiatives in compliance with national policy, clinical practice guidelines, and regulatory requirements.

Clinical Functions - Direct Patient Care Activities:

• The Facility PMOP Coordinator is expected to be involved in clinical pain care delivery at their facility equivalent to 20% of their time.
• Core functions include face-to-face, virtual and telephone encounters with patients for comprehensive medication management.
• Functions as a mid-level provider to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas. Orders, performs, reviews, and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy.
• Follows-up with patients on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy, i.e. changes in medication therapy, monitoring, and additional testing requirements. CPS will determine if a referral to the physician is necessary when disease progression occurs or adverse drug events require treatment interventions.
• Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in health care system process assessment and action teams and continually seeks to improve Pain Management services.
• Represents the Cheyenne VA Health Care System at professional/program community group/events and committees. c. Additional duties may be assigned by the Chief, Pain Management as necessary

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: Situational (Ad-hoc) as determined by agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 442-61021-0

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:

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may 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/.
  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.
• Grandfathering Provision: 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).
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Note: One year of experience equivalent is met if you are a current/past/upcoming VHA Health Professions Trainee (HPT) Graduate.

GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next grad lower grade level GS-12.

GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to meeting the experience for the GS-13 level, applicants must possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 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: Chronic pain management experience, DEA practitioner license is highly recommended for this position.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

This vacancy is above the full performance level.

Physical Requirements: The position may require walking, standing, and sitting for long periods of time. The position also requires climbing stairs, lifting up to 50 pounds, dexterity of the hand and wrist, and arm strength to perform dispensing of medication orders. All activities are conducted with the goals of self-enhancement and personal growth, and within the guidelines of safety and security regulations.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration -Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Past of upcoming HPT's may be considered non-competitively

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.