Clarification from the agency

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

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Clinical Support

• Oversees all clinical pharmacy and specialty programs within the department including but not limited to Primary Care, Home Based Primary Care, Therapeutic Anticoagulation, therapeutic drug monitoring, formulary management, Mental Health, Pain, Rheumatology, etc. to ensure integration with distributive services and continuity of care.
• Collaborates with other area supervisors in the design and implementation of clinical pharmacy services.
• Operationalizes clinical pharmacy activities such as therapeutic interchanges, formulary initiatives, monitoring protocols, etc. within the assigned program area.
• Promotes the continuous development of integrated clinical pharmacy services by all staff members within the assigned program area
• Writes and manages Coordinated Care Agreements as required by CPPO for clinical services.
• Serves as the secretary of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.
• Oversees completion of PADR (prior authorization drug requests) and appeals ensuring compliance with PBM guidelines for completion within 96 hours.
• Maintains an area of clinical service if desired and completes all associated training and FPPE/OPPE reviews.
• Supports training of professional staff including pharmacy, nursing, medical and surgical residents and fellows, and/or students regarding pharmacy functions.
• Verifies facility Adverse Drug Reaction reports, analyzes ADR data, and presents analysis and recommendations quarterly to the facility Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.
• Implement OPPE recommendations for clinic optimization and bookable hours for CPPs.
• Supports the pharmacogenomics program as assigned.
• Performs other clinical duties as assigned.

• Reviews new product requests for addition to the drug file and works with area supervisors and pharmacy informatics to ensure accurate drug file maintenance.
• Coordinates and facilitates all aspects of the department's pharmacoeconomics program in order to ensure best value in the use of pharmaceuticals.
• Collaborates with pharmacy leadership team to implement action plans to meet annual operational efficiency goals.
• Participates in medical center and pharmacy service quality improvement initiatives.
• Develops, implements, analyzes, and reports data regarding clinical pharmacy functions and programs including but not limited to cost containment initiatives, formulary compliance, drug use evaluations (DUE), adverse drug reactions (ADR), etc. in collaboration with the Chief of Pharmacy or designee.

• Ensure subordinate staff members have opportunities to participate in educational activities and monitor compliance with educational standards.
• Participates in and coordinates education for professional staff including pharmacy, nursing, medical, surgical trainees, etc. This includes but is not limited to institutional clerkships, mandatory staff education and new staff training.
• Instructs and mentors pharmacists, pharmacy residents and pharmacy students
• Completes all required continuing education, BLS training, and TMS training on time.

• Performs all supervisory functions for assigned clinical pharmacy personnel, including but not limited to, granting leave, performance appraisals, disciplinary actions, rewards, recognitions, etc.
• Monitors PBM efficiency measures and assists clinical staff in meeting national productivity goals.
• Communicates effectively with employees, keeping them informed of necessary information; keeps in close communication with each section supervisor and associate chief(s) of pharmacy; and keeps pharmacy chief current on the status of assignments and responsibilities.
• Oversees all FPPE/OPPE processes and documentation for credentialing and collaborates with the pharmacy administrative support staff to ensure red folders are maintained and up-to-date.

• Keeps informed of pharmacy law, Joint Commission standards, and VHA guidelines to ensure our pharmacy department remains in compliance with the regulating bodies.
• Updates or drafts necessary SOPs for area of supervision.
• Organizes time efficiently to meet changing workload demands.
• Maintains work areas in a clean and orderly condition

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.

• 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.

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
(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.

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.


English Language Proficiency
Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

Creditable Experience:

(1) Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board.

(2) Residency and Fellowship Training. Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination).

(3) Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination.

(4) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.


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 Pharmacy Specialist

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. Responsible for the professional and administrative management of an assigned area in pharmacy service, to include budgetary execution. Such individuals have responsibilities for supervising multiple pharmacists and technicians. Manages people, maintains effective interdepartmental relations, and cooperates with other services to accomplish the medical facility's mission and goals. Develops performance standards, assures that the program area is compliant with all regulatory and accrediting body requirements, designs and implements orientation and training programs for staff, and develops and maintains systems to monitor the performance of staff activities. Develops policies and procedures relative to their assigned area.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to effectively supervise subordinate staff.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards pertaining to pharmacy
• Skill in managing people or programs.

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.