Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees and past/current/upcoming VHA HPT graduates. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:
Clinical Functions

• Promoting evidence-based cost-effective therapy including, but not limited to drug, dose and frequency of administration, duration of therapy, monitoring and costs associated with therapy.
• Recognizing, reporting, and managing medication-related complications adverse drug reactions and errors.
• Recommending appropriate drug therapy as indicated by P&T committee approved pharmaceutical care plans.
• Providing clinically appropriate drug information to patients, patient's family members, and medical center staff as appropriate.
• Demonstrating the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to adult and geriatric patients in his or her assigned unit, area or department.
• Communicates with physicians concerning appropriate medication therapy and solves technical problems independently.
• Recommending appropriate drug therapy as indicated by P&T committee approved pharmaceutical care plans. Enforces the VA formulary and provides physicians with alternate medications (including, but not limited to, prior authorization drug requests, prior authorization-facility level requests, restricted drug requests, etc). Implement P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education.
• Recognizing, reporting and managing medication-related complications adverse drug reactions and errors.
• Completing medication reconciliation for patients with medications filled in the VA, nonVA, remote VA facilities, specialty pharmacies, etc.
• Completion of medication use evaluation (MUE) as needed to assess appropriateness of medication therapy.

Distributive Functions

• Computer verifying (with provider order entry) of all prescriptions for patients both for outpatients and clinic administration.
• Directing pharmacy technician support, where applicable.
• Coordinating medication orders with central pharmacy or CMOP when necessary.
• For non-emergent medications, prescriptions will be entered for mail-out from CMOP (90-day supplies will be encouraged for maintenance medications).
• Filling and dispensing medication to patients using the automated dispensing cabinet or Scriptpro system.
• Ensuring prescriptions are properly routed via window pick-up, mail, overnight carrier.
• Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises prepacking/loading and the operation of automated dispensing equipment.
• Ensures appropriate storage and stability for all medications stored in clinic; including, responding to temperature excursions during tour hours, communicating with team members in clinic as necessary for medication storage, as well as ensuring medication security if moved outside of tour hours.
• When necessary, counsel patients and/or relatives on prescription before they are dispensed when requested by the patient. Patient counseling will be provided to ensure that:
• Performs other clinical and staff pharmacist duties as required in periods of acute staffing needs.

Educational Functions

• Acquisition and maintenance of the clinical knowledge necessary to provide clinical pharmacy services to the inpatient and ambulatory care areas.
• Responsibility for keeping abreast of changes in the Pharmacy Service (i.e. formulary additions and deletions, interdepartmental memoranda, relevant station memoranda, and policies and procedures. and to maintain a general knowledge of VA, DEA and Joint Commission regulations).
• Provision of orientation and training to all Doctor of Pharmacy students and residents assigned to their area.
• Participation in the education and training of new employees or employees introduced to selected practice areas.

Interpersonal Relations Functions

• Contact with patients, relatives, staff members and other individuals dealing with the Medical Center demonstrates a concerned, compassionate and helpful attitude to enhance a positive image of the Medical Center and the VA system.
• Develops and promotes a "can do" resourcefulness helping patients, relatives, staff members and others within and between services by providing information in a professional, dependable, reliable, and timely manner to facilitate accomplishing deadlines.
• Interacts with coworkers in a way that promotes a harmonious and cooperative working environment.
• Provides timely verbal and/or written information that is thorough and correct, using clear and precise communication methods to ensure patients and other health care providers understand.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00AM-4:30PM
Telework: Available, Ad-Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 62561F, 60136F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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 identification 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.
• 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: 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.)
  • 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.
  • Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed.

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).
Grandfathering Provision. All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:(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-11 Pharmacist
Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement in subparagraph 2c(1) above.)
Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity.

GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)
Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:

• 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, OR
• Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.

AND Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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.

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: 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.

*Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.*

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.