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Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice and works independently under their individual scope of practice to directly care for patients. A CPS functions as an Advanced Practice Practitioner who may be assigned to the following areas: Mental Health, Ambulatory Care, Acute Care Medicine, Anticoagulation, Antibiotic Stewardship, Surgery, Emergency Room, and Specialty areas.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/09/2025 to 07/17/2025
Salary
$132,256 to - $171,935 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Tulsa, OK
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBSU-12760257-25-TDG
Control number
840330500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System employees only. Veterans' Preference is not applicable.

Videos

Duties

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Tulsa (James Mountain Inhofe VAMC) - https://youtu.be/3fMEu0iS7_Q?si=Y5RtGcnKKbJGxxk6
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

  • This CPS position will function in a Clinical Pharmacy role providing an appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects, and clinical outcome; and advising prescribers as appropriate. The CPS will provide these services while functioning under a Global Scope of Practice. The Scope of Practice for a CPS must allow for the initiation, modification, and discontinuation of medications based on the principles previously listed.
  • Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and /or recommendations to other healthcare providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in:
    • Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen
    • Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen
    • Appropriateness of the route and method of administration
    • Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen
    • Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug-disease interactions
    • Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects.
    • Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy.
  • Perform continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy.
  • Provide medication counseling to patients.
  • Completes medication histories, including patient interviews.
  • Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers.
  • Evaluate pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug-nutrient interactions, monitor for adverse drug effects, and screen for allergies.
  • Assess drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms.
  • Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with the VADERS reporting program.
  • Participates in the Medical Center Medication Utilization Evaluation (MUE) program.
  • Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned.
  • Maintain current BLS and/or ACLS certification.
  • Provides routine Clinical Pharmacy consultation, including renal dosing.
  • Implement P&T Committee policies, including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education.
  • Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions and/or changing the medication to one that has similar indications and outcomes.
  • Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care 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 Pharmacy, Nursing, Medical Staff, or other ancillary services.
  • Participation in documentation of interventions, medication errors, and adverse drug event reporting.
  • Works with other health care providers to develop programs for the improvement of drug use.
  • Develop and conduct drug usage evaluation in areas of need from a cost and patient outcome perspective.
  • Document cost reduction/cost avoidance activities on a periodic basis.
  • Assists in managing the hospital formulary and ensures its appropriate utilization by health care providers.
  • Participation in research projects and quality improvement projects involving drug therapy outcomes, Pharmacoeconomics, and pharmaceutical care.
  • Provision of backup pharmacy staffing coverage and maintenance of skills required for backup pharmacy staffing coverage.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Functional Statement #: 623-57393-A

Requirements

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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.
  • You may be required to serve a trial period.
  • 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 dentification 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).

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:

  • Citizenship. Citizen of the United States.
  • 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.
  • Grandfathering Provision. 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).
  • English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
  • Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
  • Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Pharmacists assigned to this position must also demonstrate the following KSAs:
    • Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
    • Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
    • Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
    • Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
    • Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
Preferred Experience: Clinical Pharmacy experience involving Infectious Disease. PGY1 preferred. Strong knowledge of pharmacy operations, clinical pharmacy practices, and medication management. Experience with electronic health record (EHR) systems and pharmacy management software. Knowledge of contemporary hospital/clinical practice and service. Significant knowledge and expertise in advanced pharmacy practice, specialty medication therapy management, and specialty evidence-based medicine.

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-13.

Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, walking, bending, stooping, standing, pushing, and pulling.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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.

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

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