Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to (Current and Permanent) VA Employees and (Current of Former) Participants of VHA or Affiliate Health Profession Trainee (HPT) Programs. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

The Pharmacist 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.

The Pharmacist/ Clinical Pharmacist:

• Consults with physicians and other providers on appropriate pharmaceutical treatment regimens for patients.
• Provides consultation to physicians and other health care professionals on both basic and specific information concerning formulary alternatives.
• Spends up to 25% of time providing clinical services to clinic patients, providers, and other clinic staff.
• Provides patient consultation concerning individual drug therapy and related problems and needs.
• Evaluation of non-formulary consults in accordance with VA criteria for use of non-formulary medications.
• Monitors use of non-formulary medications on discharge and fee prescriptions to ensure that VA patients receive appropriate medications according to VA criteria of use.
• Processes pharmacy interventions regarding medication changes in therapy, drug-interactions, drug allergy processing, dosage errors, and other pharmacy interventions.
• Notifies providers of appropriate changes to medication orders and make appropriate recommendations.
• Records pharmacy interventions in appropriate intervention software to track and trend interventions for quality assurance purposes.
• Provides appropriate selection of drug therapy.
• Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring.
• Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy.
• Provides medication counseling to patients.
• Completes medication histories including patient interviews.
• Serves as a drug information resource to health care professionals, patients, and caregivers.
• Participates in patient care rounds, review charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug, and drug-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies.
• Performs medication reconciliation.
• Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms.
• Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors.
• Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program.
• Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned.
• Participates in medical emergencies including code teams (if BLS or ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities.
• Provides pharmacokinetic consultation, including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides.
• Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions.
• Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule.
• Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy.
• Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents.
• Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in-services to nursing, medical staff or to other ancillary services.
• Interprets and evaluates physician medication orders for both accuracy and appropriateness.
• Verifies provider medication orders in VistA to include drug interaction monitoring, proper dose, rate, and dosage form.

Duties are continued in the Benefits section of this announcement.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 1 PM - 9:30 PM, alternate tours of duty may be assigned to meet service requirements including weekends and holidays.
Telework: Ad-Hoc Telework is available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: Pharmacist, GS-11: 53587-F, Clinical Pharmacist, GS-12: 53588-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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.
• 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

Health Profession Trainees (HPT's) pending the completion of educational requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

All applicants pending the completion of certification/licensure requirements may be referred as a Graduate Pharmacist at the GS-11 level 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: Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

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 2 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[1]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.
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.

Licensure 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).


Grade Determinations:

GS-11 Pharmacist

Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

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

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:

• Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, especially during evening or reduced staff hours.
• Experience performing clinical interventions, medication therapy management (MTM), and resolving drug therapy problems.
• Proficiency with drug utilization review, medication reconciliation, and ensuring safe, effective medication use.
• Experience with high volume prescription processing, evening workflow management, and maintaining accuracy under time pressure.
• Strong communication skills for interacting with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams, including those contacting the pharmacy after clinic hours.
• Experience with VA systems such as CPRS, VistA, or BCMA
• Proficiency with ScriptPro pharmacy automation.
• Experience with Prepacking unit dose medications.
• Experience processing Prior Authorization requests.
• Proficiency with handling VA community care prescription processing.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service, patient education, and resolving issues promptly during independently staffed shifts.

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:

• Ability to distinguish basic colors

Pharmacists may dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to health practitioners and patients about proper usage of medications. Pharmacists advise physicians and other health practitioners on the selection, dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications. Pharmacists monitor the health and progress of patients to ensure the safe and effective use of medication. Pharmacists may practice compounding. Pharmacists may prescribe and administer certain medications. Pharmacists may have prescriptive authority to either independently prescribe under their own authority or in collaboration with a primary care physician through an agreed upon protocol. Pharmacy work requires knowledge of the use, clinical effects, and composition of drugs, including their chemical, biological, and physical properties. Many pharmacists work in a in a hospital or clinic. Pharmacists in hospitals and clinics may perform duties such as, but not limited to: - dispense, prescribe and/or administer medications; - advise the medical staff on the selection and effects of drugs; - may make sterile solutions and buy medical supplies; - assess, plan, and monitor drug programs or regimens; - counsel patients on the use of drugs; and - evaluate drug use patterns and outcomes for patients in hospitals or managed care organizations.

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.