Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. The area of consideration will be referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent employees of other Federal agencies. 2. Veterans. 3. The Public.

Videos

Duties will include, but are not limited to:
Clinical

• Functions independently, providing direct patient care using authorized privileges to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve defined outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas.
• Independently initiates orders for medications, medication changes, and lab tests as permitted by scope of practice and medical center policy or protocol.
• Develops and maintains patient specific pharmaceutical care plan for Oral Hematology/Oncology patients. The pharmaceutical care plan outlines health care needs, pharmacotherapeutic goals, recommendations or changes (within scope of clinical privileges) for therapy, monitoring parameters, desired endpoints and monitoring frequency.
• Documents all recommendations and interactions in electronic health record (EHR) as progress notes in appropriate format to maximize clinical pharmacy workload capture.
• All medication orders (inpatient and outpatient), including oncology drugs, are reviewed for appropriateness. Ensures that drug-related problems identified are addressed and resolved in a consistent and coordinated process.
• Completes medication reconciliation and provides patients with an updated list of medication.
• Participates in Adverse Drug Event Reporting Program and reports medication errors to promote patient safety.
• Provides in depth review of Prior Authorization Drug Requests (PADR's) utilizing the PADR consult process to document approval or disapproval.
• Participates in the provision of pharmaceutical care support services as required, including drug distribution, drug information, database management, and documentation of interventions.
• Assesses and provides comprehensive medication and disease state counseling for veteran patients and family to ensure safe and effective medication use and disease state outcome goals are met. Educates on necessary lifestyle modifications to help achieve outcome goals.

Education

• Provides specialized education and training (in services) to nursing, pharmacy and physicians, concerning chemotherapy and the ancillary care of the cancer patient (e.g. changes in practice, formulary management, and new modalities related to oncology drugs or the therapeutic use of oncology drugs).
• Provides authoritative drug information and resolution of questions posed by physicians, consultants and other health care providers regarding appropriateness of drug therapy, stability, compatibilities, contraindications, adverse effects, drug-drug/drug-food/drug-disease interactions, drug use criteria, and formulary alternatives is provided in a timely manner.
• Regularly reads medical and pharmacy journals to keep up with new drug treatments and pharmaceutical care processes.
• Maintains continuous self-directed education to sustain and improve professional knowledge required to function effectively as a pharmacist and as a clinical pharmacy specialist.
• The Oncology CPS will be actively involved in training pharmacy residents and/or students as assigned.

Research

• Assists medical staff in developing, conducting, and presenting the results of medication use evaluations, outcome assessments, and basic research.
• Participates as a preceptor for pharmacy PGY-1 and PGY-2 resident rotations and projects.
• Provides investigational drug information to medical, nursing, and other professional staff and investigational drug counseling to veteran patients when appropriate.
• Assist with investigational new drug process for compassionate use.
• Promotes, assists, and facilitates pharmacist involvement in pharmacotherapy research and scholarship.
• Collaborates with the Investigational Drug Program Manager for drug studies which may include inpatient or outpatient administration of oncologic drugs.
• Contributes to pharmacy-based research to improve clinical outcomes and/or administrative effectiveness.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 7:00am-3:30pm.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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. 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 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.

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-13 Clinical Pharmacist.

Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Assignments: Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist: The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
2. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
3. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
4. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
5. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Preferred Experience: Completion of PGY-1 and PGY-2 (Oncology) residency, or at least 2 years Oncology experience preferred.

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

The grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: This job requires: light to heave lifting (under 15 pounds to 45 pounds and over), moderate carrying, 15-44 pounds, reaching above shoulders, use of fingers, both hands required, walking, standing, repeated bending, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing (aid may be permitted) and mental & emotional stability.

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.

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.