Clarification from the agency

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

Videos

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

This is an OCA announcement and applicants will be referred weekly or bi-weekly until the position has been filled. It may close before the posting date if a qualified applicant is found.

Major duties:

• Verifies accuracy and appropriateness of medication orders and prescriptions during order finishing.
• Consults with medical center staff when there are questions concerning therapeutic or policy matters regarding outpatient prescriptions or inpatient physician orders.
• Ensures formulary guidelines are followed in accordance with all applicable rules, regulations, and guidelines.
• Enures the accuracy of drug dispensing based on patient history and medication profile review, good clinical practice, and other pertinent factors.
• Provides drug information to physicians, nurses, and other associated health care professionals. Provides oral and written drug information to inpatient and outpatient veterans, as appropriate.
• Conducts clinical screening procedures such as the calculation of creatinine clearances for "at risk" patients.
• Provides discharge medication counseling to veterans and family discharging to home from medicine service and short-stay rehabilitation.
• Assists the Chief of Pharmacy in maintenance of the formulary. Gathers information supporting the inclusion of drugs into (or removal of drug from) the formulary at the national, Veterans Integrated Service Network, or local level.
• Participates in interdisciplinary rounds (eg: Discharge planning, falls assessments, etc.) with the interdisciplinary team and makes suggestions to improve therapy and/or ease transition to home, as appropriate.
• Assists with instruction of professional or technical level pharmacy students and assists in the training of new technicians and pharmacists.
• Participates in quality improvement activities involving drug therapy and clinical pharmacy functions.
• Provides a monitoring program for all adverse drug reactions (as required by The Joint Commission).

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. In addition, Clinical Pharmacists will be part of regular rotation staffing Inpatient Pharmacy on Sundays (7:00am-11:00am) and holidays (7:00am-3:30pm). Typical frequency for each is 1 Sunday shift every 2 months on average and 1 holiday shift per calendar year.

***Tomah VA is implementing a new health record in January, 2027. Post go-life staff may be required to work alternative shifts to cover all operational and veteran needs. This may include evenings, nights, and weekends until the implementation is complete.

Functional Statement #: 02160F

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:

• Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• 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.
  • Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if 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. (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.)
• English Language Proficiency - must be proficient in spoken and written English

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements the following criteria must be met:

Experience. One (1) full year of creditable experience at the next lower level (GS-11) or equivalent, directly related to the Clinical Pharmacy position which handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. These include, but are not limited to: reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness; processing and filling medication orders; interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care; reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems; contacting providers as appropriate; documenting recommendations and interventions; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; taking health and medication histories; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution. 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: Experience working in outpatient setting or health system pharmacy as an intern, resident, or pharmacist.

References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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.