Clarification from the agency

This announcement is only open to current, permanent Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center employees. 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 Inpatient Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) is a licensed pharmacist who provides patient-centered pharmaceutical care under a limited scope of practice, standard of care, and policy. The CPP provides clinical pharmacy services to veterans managed in the Medical/Surgical units and inpatient operations. The CPP represents inpatient pharmacy service in the medical center in the areas including, but not limited to, initiation, adjustment, and discontinuation of medications for defined domains including PK consult management, TPN, VTE prophylaxis, stress ulcer prevention, warfarin anticoagulation consult management, IV to PO conversion, renal/hepatic adjustments, coordination of care, medication reconciliation, medication histories, formulary stewardship implementation, patient counseling/education, medication utilization evaluation, quality assurance and crushed-medication conversions.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Clinical Services:

a) Function as an independent provider within an approved limited scope of practice to initiate, adjust, and discontinue medications in assigned domains.
b) Conduct patient interviews to include, but not limited to, medical history, medication reconciliation, assessment, treatment planning and clinical outcomes at all transitions of care to ensure accurate EMR documentation.
c) Document all patient interactions, assessments, and interventions in the medical record promptly and accurately.
d) Ensure safe, appropriate, cost-effective medication therapies for patients, in accordance with established policies, procedures, and protocols.
e) Communicate regularly with the Veteran's provider concerning the ongoing management of the Veteran's medication therapy.
f) Initiate and adjust medication dosages for prescribed medications in response to lab values, drug levels, and patient status within limited scope of practice.

Inpatient Operations:

a) Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing.
b) Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record.
c) Fills all orders in a timely fashion; review of the patient's allergy history, drug-drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately.
d) Review medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved.
e) Selects, compounds, dispenses, and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmic (subconjunctival and intravitreal injections), narcotics, investigational drugs, oncolytic agents, etc., in both outpatient and inpatient areas. Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable.
f) Compound sterile products as required by tour or as need.

Work Schedule: Typically 8-hour tours between 0700 and 2200, including every fourth weekend, with occasional holidays and overnight shifts. Tours may be adjusted to meet the needs of the Pharmacy Service and the Veterans we serve.

Telework: This position is approved for AdHoc Telework
Functional Statement #: FS#000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists 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: In addition to the basic requirements, to be qualified for this position at the GS 13 level, you must meet the following requirements:

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

AND

You must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA):

• 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.

**You must address the KSA's in your resume to be found qualified**


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

Physical Requirements: Physical movements involve completion of routine pharmacy functions which include but are not limited to significant computer work/typing, prescription order entry and processing, contact of patients (both face to face and via phone). Certain tasks are repetitive in nature and require multiple steps performed in succession for success. The incumbent should be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds without significant difficulty. Incumbent must be able to stand or sit in one place for considerable time during completion of complex tasks. Complexity of mental processes involved is extensive, demanding, and challenging.

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.