Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current, permanent employees of the Department of Veteran Affairs employees, employees of other Federal agencies and Health Care Trainees. U.S. Citizens please apply to Job Announcement CBTG-12982654-26-IW for full consideration. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

1. Functions or Scopes of Practice
A. Administrative/ Supervisory
1. Supervises inpatient pharmacy technicians, manages staffing schedules, and leave. Coordinates use of fee-basis, intermittent staff, and volunteers.
2. Develops and updates policies to reflect current practice and meet regulatory requirements.
3. Ensures expired drugs are properly stored and returned or destroyed per policy, including unusable controlled substances.
4. Interviews applicants and recommends selections. Evaluates performance and recommends personnel actions.
5. Updates certain functional statements for inpatient pharmacy staff.
6. Handles inpatient complaints and grievances, resolving issues informally, and provides counseling or disciplinary action when needed.
7. Reports to the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor and serves as Acting Supervisor when needed, able to cover any inpatient pharmacy role.
8. Supports Pharmacy Service Management by ensuring administrative compliance with various federal and professional requirements.
9.Maintains appropriate confidentiality of all information accessible through electronic health record and hospital computer systems.
10.Oversees daily IV room operations and coordinates workflow for pharmacists, technicians, and trainees to ensure efficient processes.
11.Prepares and leads the local Compounded Sterile Preparations Subcommittee and serves on the VISN committee.
12. Assists with accreditation preparation, meets with inspectors, and supports Joint Commission compliance for pharmacy services.
13.Prepares issue briefs when a change in compounding operations occurs.
14.Helps audit sterile product quality and provides performance feedback to the Pharmacy Supervisor.
15.Interprets regulations, updates policies to ensure compliance, and revises compounding processes as needed. Provides staff updates and training.
16.Manages recordkeeping for drug distribution, including competencies, logs, and USP 795/797/800 reports.
17.Performs quality assurance audits, drug use reviews, and prepares reports or project support.
B. Program Management
1. Ensures staff follow USP797/800 sterile compounding standards, overseeing compliance and technician performance.
2. Evaluates the medication use process, makes recommendations for improvement, implements changes, and assesses outcomes.
3. Monitors and maintains pharmacy automation systems and coordinates with other services to ensure optimal operation.
4. All-Hazards Emergency Cache - Participates in stock rotation, Shelf-Life Extension Program (SLEP), education, and activation as necessary.
C. Clinical
1. Develops, monitors, and maintains effective customer service-oriented pharmacy programs consistent with the service strategic plan.
2. Serves as a consultant to Pharmacy Services and other staff to evaluate patient care delivery.
3. Assesses, Plans and evaluates pharmacy programs to ensure coordinated, high quality healthcare.
4. Maintains data on controlled substances, non formulary items, and drug use programs for committee and management use.
5. Provides unbiased drug information to healthcare providers to address questions and support effective therapy.
6. Provides timely clinical decisions by evaluating patient therapy, conducting rounds, recommending alternatives, reporting adverse reactions, and documenting drug information.
7. Screens orders for incompatibilities, patient allergies, and drug interactions.
8. Evaluates a patient's ability to understand medication instructions and provides oral and written counseling.
9. Researches and develops patient education materials for pharmacy staff to use in patient instruction.
10. Reviews and updates the smart pump drug library for all clinical areas.
11. Reviews new drug requests for applicable entry into the pump library, hazardous designation, and compounding requirements.
D. Dispensing
1. Oversees compounding and hazardous drug handling while keeping leadership informed.
2.Coordinates clinical and distributive compounding functions.
E. Education
1.Trains and orient new staff and provides ongoing training and development.
2. Identifies staff training needs in compounding and hazardous drug management and directs training.
F. Quality Assurance1. Ensures proper integration of CPRS, BCMA, VistA, Omnicell, and Alaris systems.
2. Uses Simplifi for compliance and quality documentation and gathers compounding program data for reports.
G. Research
1. Supervises inpatient investigational drug requests, ensuring required documentation and regulatory security. Serves as backup to the Research Pharmacy Program Manager.

Work Schedule: Primarily Monday-Friday 0530-1630, Possibility for occasional weekends and holidays dependent upon the needs of the service.
Telework: ADHOC as approved by agency.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:41196-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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 identification 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 (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.
• 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).

(1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-660 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
(3) If a licensed pharmacist who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

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.

Pharmacy Supervisor. 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:

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

Preferred Experience: PGY1 & PGY2 Health System Pharmacy Administration residency experience preferred. Board certification in sterile compounding preferred.

Reference: 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.