Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Duties may include:

Clinical:
a. Provides timely responses to drug information requests from patient care providers and nurses.
b. Evaluates other care provider's orders for appropriateness of therapy, incompatibilities, side effects and interactions of drugs and drug products.
c. Appropriately interacts with the ordering provider or attending as needed.
d. Utilizes patient care information systems such as EHMR to obtain critical patient data elements and to document pertinent patient care issues.
e. Provides medication use counseling at time of patient encounter.
f. Counsels patients on drug-drug interactions, adverse effects, food-drug interactions, product availability, and PNT Committee and pharmacy policies as appropriate.
g. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths or products per facility policy.
h. Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy.
i. Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold" function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders using the "service reject" function.
j. Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy.
k. Responds to Code Blue emergencies in the inpatient setting.

Dispensing:
a. Responsible for verification and evaluation of licensed independent practitioners' medication orders/prescriptions and input of written orders, when applicable.
b. Selects, compounds, dispenses, and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmics, narcotics, investigational drugs, oncolytic agents, etc in inpatient and/or outpatient areas and follows appropriate quality assurance procedures as applicable.
c. Checks prescription orders for safety, accuracy, and appropriateness prior to dispensing. d. Verifies and fills all orders in a timely fashion.
e. Inputs medication allergy data when information provided by patient/care giver/provider.
f. Enters non-VA medication data when information provided by patient and/or caregiver.
g. Ensures that drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations

Education and Training:
a. Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technician, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, and other medical center personnel as required.
b. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices.
c. Is skilled at using both written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others.
d. May serve as a preceptor for pharmacy students and/or pharmacy residents.
e. Has a good working knowledge of information resources such as Micromedex, Clinical Pharmacology, AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, or other relevant pharmaceutical references, both written and electronic.
f. Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management.
g. Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers.

Administration:
a. Ensures that work of the team is carried out on tours when no supervisory pharmacist is present.
b. Acts as point-of-contact with Patient Care Services for resolution of time-sensitive nursing/pharmacy issues.
c. Contacts additional staff, pharmacist or technician, to report for duty in the event of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) activation, and emergency or other situations where additional staff is necessary to perform the work at hand.
d. Supervises the activities of support personnel and communicates with supervisory staff regarding issues that arise during the time period when no supervisory pharmacist is on site.
e. Participates in the medical center and pharmacy service quality improvement programs

Research:
a. Participation in research activities must be in accordance with FDA guidelines and regulations and VHA policy.
b. Coordinates the receipt and distribution of all drugs in an investigational and/or clinical evaluation status and maintains appropriate records regarding their use as applicable

Work Schedule: Varied tours
Functional Statement #: 91627-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): N

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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

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 2 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: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:

1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or
2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs):
1. Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
3. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
4. 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 12.

Physical Requirements: The position is mostly sedentary with multiple hours at a desk typing and talking on the phone. Must be ambulatory and able to walk about freely.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

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.