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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The clinical pharmacist shall routinely maintain an outstanding and up-to-date clinical knowledge base with regard to medication therapy, contemporary journal articles, and contemporary pharmacy practice. Incumbent will routinely provide and support leadership and management oversight as it relates to the clinical programs and clinical activities of assigned personnel. Responsibilities shall include:

1. Treats patients with disease states managed in specialty care setting.
2. Maintain required bookable hours and appropriate clinic utilization.
3. Participate in non-formulary and prior authorization requests completion in a timely manner.
4. Scanning the internal and external environments to determine opportunities to enhance pharmacy services to support patient education, patient adherence, clinical outcomes, and team member growth and development.
5. Monitoring drug utilization (formulary, non-formulary, restricted) and intervene to ensure formulary adherence and optimal evidence-based clinical outcomes.
6. Meet with new patients entering our system to reconcile medications, review formulary availability and options for conversion, and educate regarding VA policies.
7. Monitor the educational needs of providers, pharmacists, nurses, and patients, and make recommendations to address any deficiencies. Actively participate in supporting any defined educational programs and activities.
8. Routinely benchmark with national contemporary programs and make recommendations for clinical pharmacy service and program changes.
9. Analyze and interpret the published literature, and appropriately apply one's findings. In addition, demonstrate a willingness to maintain a current understanding in terms of the breadth and depth of the literature in appropriate clinical areas.
10. Participate in the development of order sets, quality and performance monitoring programs to support the optimal use of our personnel and medication resources.
11. Actively demonstrate a willingness to generate cost containment ideas and then to implement and enforce departmental and/or institutional programs to support the wise use of available resources.
12. Routinely demonstrate the willingness to identify and address the routine and the most salient needs of our stakeholders (patients, providers, and colleagues).
13. Act as a liaison between service line leadership, pharmacy management, medical staff, and healthcare personnel, and pharmacy team members. Routine emphasis should be on clinical, operational, and environmental-scanning communication updates.
14. Actively support the development, implementation, management and monitoring of clinical and operational guidelines - national, VISN and local.
15. Actively support through personal and team mentoring the professional growth of assigned personnel.
16. Actively support the service line team-based management of the pharmacy service. Demonstrate a willingness to support the actions and decisions of the management team.
17. Actively support the department's medication and fiscal management activities and programs.
18. Demonstrate the ability, willingness, knowledge, and wisdom to know with whom to communicate and when to resolve clinical and operational concerns.

Preferred Experience: Residency Preferred

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 60955F
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

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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).
• 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. (COPY OF LICENSURE REQUIRED).
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C.7402(d), and 7407(d).

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

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

The selectee will be appointed at the GS-13 above the full performance grade level.

References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15, Licensed Pharmacist Qualification Standard

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

Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over, Heavy carrying, 45 pounds and over, Straight pulling (2-3 hours), Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, both hands required, Walking (2-3 hours), Standing (2-3 hours), Kneeling (1 hours), Repeated bending (Intermittent hours), Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, 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, Both eyes required, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Hearing (aid permitted), 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.