Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. Open to all U.S. Citizens. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. First consideration to be given to internal to Richard L. Roudebush VAMC employees, second consideration given to Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) employees and third consideration give to Department of Veteran's Affairs employees.

Videos

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

Duties of the Clinical Pharmacist:

Clinical

• Provides timely responses to drug information requests.
• Evaluates provider's orders for appropriateness of therapy, incompatibilities, side effects and interactions of drugs/drug products.
• Utilizes patient care information systems to obtain critical patient data elements and to document pertinent patient care issues.
• Counsels patients on drug-drug interactions, adverse effects, food-drug interactions, product availability, and PNT Committee and pharmacy policies.
• Manages recalls and medication shortage situations.
• Enters supply orders for patient care per facility policy.
• Manages actions for medication orders to include flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold" function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders.
• Extends refills until next scheduled appointment.
• Responds to Code Blue emergencies in the inpatient setting.
• Involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes by direct interactions with patients and providers.
• Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings.
• Performs medication reconciliation including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non-VA medications.
• Involved in reviewing patient medication regimens for cost effective drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, therapeutic duplication, appropriate route and method of administration, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans.
• Monitors for/reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings.
• Applies knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care and recognizes significant anomalies.
• Has expertise in the principles of clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, makes dose adjustment recommendations based on laboratory findings.
• Reviews/evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance.
• Documents clinical interventions in EHMR in a timely and professional manner.
• Maintains professional competency, licensure, and continuing education requirements, keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, and applies knowledge in daily duties.

Dispensing

• Verifies and evaluates licensed independent practitioners' medication orders/prescriptions and inputs written orders.
• Selects, compounds, dispenses, and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmic narcotics, investigational drugs, oncolytic agents, etc. in inpatient and/or outpatient areas and follows appropriate quality assurance procedures.
• Checks prescription orders for safety, accuracy, and appropriateness prior to dispensing.
• Verifies and fills all orders in a timely fashion.
• Inputs medication allergy data and non-VA medication data when information provided by patient/care giver/provider.
• Ensures that drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations.

Education and Training

• Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technician, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, and other medical center personnel.
• Instructs patients and family members in the use of medications/medical devices.
• Skilled at using written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others.
• May serve as a preceptor for pharmacy students and/or pharmacy residents.
• Has a good working knowledge of information resources such as Micromedex, Clinical Pharmacology, AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, or other relevant pharmaceutical references.
• Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management.
• Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries.

• Ensures that work of the team is carried out on tours when no supervisory pharmacist is present.
• Point-of-contact with Patient Care Services for resolution of time-sensitive nursing/pharmacy issues.
• Contacts additional staff, pharmacists or technicians, to report for duty in the event of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) activation, and emergencies.
• Supervises the activities of support personnel and communicates with supervisory staff during the time when no supervisory pharmacist is on site.
• Participates in the medical center and pharmacy service quality improvement programs.

Work Schedule: Full-time - multiple shifts available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 91627-A
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
  • 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.

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-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.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate, in their resume, 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/.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary. It typically requires sitting with sustained periods of concentration. There will be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of relatively light objects. The position may also require stooping, reaching, lifting, pulling, and other moderate exertion or strain. Incumbent may occasionally have to walk some distance to a meeting.

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.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.