Clarification from the agency

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

Videos

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

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF PRACTICE:
The Clinical Pharmacist will be involved in the independent professional practice of pharmacy in accordance with the guidance set forth in FHCC policies and procedures, VA regulations, DHA/DoD regulations, and state and federal laws governing the practice of pharmacy. The clinical pharmacist will be under the administrative supervision of the supervisor of the section assigned (Outpatient Pharmacy). The clinical pharmacist may be scheduled and assigned to all areas of pharmacy practice and must possess the required knowledge and skills in order to perform the requiredfunctions.

CLINICAL:
1. Drug Therapy Monitoring - Drug therapy monitoring should be conducted by clinical pharmacists in all areas of pharmacy practice as an ongoingactivity. Drug therapy monitoring includes an assessment of the following:

• The therapeutic appropriateness of the patient's drug regimen.
• Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen.
• The appropriateness of route and method of administration.
• The degree of patient compliance with the drug regimen.
• Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug-disease interactions.

2. Pharmacist Intervention - Relevant findings from drug therapy monitoring activities must be communicated to other health care professionals who are responsible for the patient's care to increase the effectiveness and minimize potential risks of drug therapy. In consultation with prescribers, the interpretation of such data will generally stimulate clinical pharmacist recommendations for revision of drug therapy plans.

3. Monitoring, detecting, documenting, reporting, and managing of adverse drug events.

DISTRIBUTIVE:
The clinical pharmacist is responsible for preparing, dispensing, and distributing a wide variety of pharmaceutical preparations safely, appropriately, andaccurately in all medication management systems within outpatient pharmacy, i.e., unit dose, investigational drugs, ward stock, automatic replenishment, and ambulatory care. Within each system, the clinical pharmacist will ensure compliance with regulatory policies regarding medication labeling, inventory management, formulary management, equipment management, and timeliness of service. The clinical pharmacist providessupervision to pharmacy support staff in the distributive function. Ambulatory care prescriptions, compounded non sterile products, unit dose drugs, and other orders prepared by pharmacy technicians will be checked for accuracy by a pharmacist in their assigned area prior to distribution or dispensing.

EDUCATION:
1. Patient Education - The clinical pharmacist shares a mutual responsibility with other health care practitioners for providing drug-related patienteducation and counseling. Using suitable oral, written, or audiovisual communication techniques and methods, the pharmacist will inform, educate, and counsel patients about their drug therapy in order to maximize proper use of medications and therefore improve therapeutic outcomes.
2. FHCC Pharmacy Staff Education - The clinical pharmacist is responsible for providing the FHCC staff with accurate, comprehensive informationabout drugs and their use and shall serve as the FHCC primary resource for meeting its drug information responsibilities.

Work Schedule: Rotating weekdays and weekends.
Compressed/Flexible:N/ATelework: N/A
Virtual: This is not a virtual position. N/A
Functional Statement #: 09207F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: N/A
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): N/A

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

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:
(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.) (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

OR,

Foreign Education:(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).(CERTIFICATION REQUIRED)

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.

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:
Assignment: A pharmacist in this assignment 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); assisting in medical emergencies; 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.

**** NOTE: Experience must be well documented in Resume/CV to qualify for the position. ****

Preferred Experience: In addition to basic Qualification Standard: completion of ASHP-accredited PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency or equivalent experience in the major duties for at least 3 years.

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 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.

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.