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: Current permanent employees of other Federal agencies, Veterans, The Public - US Citizens.

Videos

At the GS-12 full performance level of the assignment, duties will include:

1.Clinical

• Promotes pharmaceutical care service to Veterans in medical center clinics and on inpatient wards.
• Provides prescription dispensing and controlled substance and high-cost drug accountability.
• Reviews, interprets, and verifies medication orders for clinical appropriateness; collaborates with the providers at the front end of the
  prescription order process to improve patient outcomes; reviews patient's medications, allergies, labs and other pertinent information from the medical record for appropriate drug selection, dosing, contraindications, and potential interactions; contacts providers as appropriate.
• Proactively collaborates with providers regarding medication therapy including anticoagulation management, renal dose adjustment,
  pharmacokinetic monitoring and dose adjustment, pain management, electrolyte and glycemic management, parenteral nutrition management, IV to PO conversions, sedation/analgesia management, and antimicrobial stewardship i.e. vancomycin per pharmacy.
• Documents clinical pharmacy activities in the electronic health record (EHR) including therapeutic changes and recommendations with
  appropriate encounter information according to pharmacy standard operating procedure.
• Completes medication reconciliation upon admission, transfer, and discharge, ensures the patient's medication profile is updated, and documents appropriate transitions in care.
• Provides medication counseling and verifies patient understanding of the medication, its intended purpose, proper use, expected outcomes, and how to obtain refills/renewals.
• Ensures pending inpatient, clinic, and outpatient prescriptions and other distributive workload activities are triaged, prioritized, and processed in a timely manner.
• i. Promotes cost effective utilization of formulary medications and supplies and participates in cost savings initiatives.
• Critically evaluates and completes non-formulary medication requests by using evidence-based decision making.
• Participates in quality improvement and patient safety programs including patient incident and adverse event reporting, medication use
  evaluations, drug alerts, drug recalls, drug shortage mitigation, pharmacy related clinical performance measures, and other projects related to patient outcomes.
• Maintains knowledge and practice to help ensure full compliance with medical center accreditation standards and other regulatory
  requirements.
• Discontinues duplicate prescription(s) received at other VA sites and notifies other VA sites when appropriate (due to prescription
  duplication).
• Assists in medical emergencies by participating in code blue events.

2. Education

• Trains, educates, and precepts pharmacy residents and/or pharmacy students.
• Educates coworkers, medical students, residents, attending staff, nursing and other professional staff.
• Educates patients, patient's family, and caregivers in issues relating to drug therapy.
• Distributes and communicates drug information to peers and other health care providers.

3. Administrative

• Provides support to and oversight of technical staff in aspects of medication distribution.
• When assigned, serves as Pharmacist-in-Charge in the absence of a supervisor to ensure continuity of patient care and pharmacy operations.
• Assists with the development of quality and safety improvement initiatives and the collection and analysis of data. Examples include but are not limited to order sets, MUE's, protocols, monographs, and participation in committees or task groups.
• Assists with the development of policies and procedures that help streamline drug distribution processes.

4. Research

• Assists with the development and implementation of pharmacy-based, patient-focused research studies.
• Dispenses and maintains accountability records for investigational drugs as needed.
• Provides investigational drug information to medical, nursing and other professional staff.
• Conducts investigational drug patient counseling when appropriate.

5. Performs other functions as assigned by supervisor.


Work Schedule: Saturday-Tuesday, 10:00pm-8:00am, to include some holidays
Compressed/Flexible:See above tour of duty
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
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

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 (copy of transcripts with confer date required with application package):
  • (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 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. Copy of licensure required.

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-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)

Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:

1. 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):

• Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
• Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Preferred Experience: Prefer two or more years of recent inpatient experience in a hospital setting, strong clinical judgment, effective decision making skills, and experience calculating complex medication infusions. Experience with an advanced inpatient pharmacy automation system (such as Pyxis or Omnicell), and a working knowledge of USP 797 and 900 sterile compounding standards.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.

Physical Requirements: heavy lifting (up to and over 45 pounds), moderate carrying (15-44 pounds), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking (8 hours), standing (6 hours), repeated bending (2 hours), near and far vision correctable, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors, hearing (aid may be permitted), mental and emotional stability, exposure to constant noise, dust, extensive keyboarding and mouse usage, working closely with others, working alone, protracted or irregular working hours.

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.