Clarification from the agency

Announcement is open to the Public, All VA employees and other Federal employees should apply to announcement CBSU-12793700-25-RR

Videos

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

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf

Duties for this position include, but are not limited to:

A. Clinical - Direct Patient Care Activities:
1. Functions as an advanced practice provider for Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) services to achieve defined outcomes for patients. 2. Engages in face-to-face, telehealth, telephone, eConsult, and other modalities for direct patient care.
3. Functions as a mid-level provider to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve defined clinical outcomes. Collaborates with patients and providers to ensure efficacy, minimal toxicity, and cost-effectiveness.
4. Performs appropriate physical assessment and medication reconciliation in alignment with established policies or procedures.
5. Orders, performs, reviews, and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy.
6. Follows-up with patients on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy, including changes in medication therapy, monitoring, and additional testing requirements.
7. Determines if a referral to a physician is necessary when disease progression occurs, or adverse drug events require a higher level of treatment intervention.

Clinical - Indirect Patient Care Activities:
1. Review patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes, as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and suggests appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans, as needed.
2. Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or communicates them to the provider, as appropriate.
3. Monitor and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures.
4. Applies knowledge of normal laboratory values in evaluating patient care, recognizes significant abnormalities, and makes dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings.
5. Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable.
6. Assists Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee with medication use evaluations and other safety initiatives.
7. Documents clinical interventions in CPRS in a timely and professional manner as appropriate.
8. Promotes and monitors compliance for established drug therapy policies.
9. Works with providers to ensure compliance with national, VISN, and local initiatives.

Program Management, and Administration:
1. The incumbent has full line supervisory authority over Specialty CPPs located in ECHCS. The incumbent ensures that services provided meet or exceed professional and legal standards, emphasizing day-to-day supervision and clinical operations management.
2. Actively participates in ensuring that resources dedicated to clinical pharmacy activities are used effectively and required workload data is gathered and collected in an accurate and timely manner.
3. Interviews and recommends appointments, advancements, or promotions to the appropriate approving official(s).
4. Manages affirmative action initiatives, grievances, EEO complaints and labor management issues while effectively supervising staff.
5. Assigns duties; develops performance standards, conducts performance evaluation, and completes ongoing professional practice evaluations; recommendations for appointment, awards, advancement, and disciplinary actions as appropriate.
6. Resolves routine and complex problems affecting Pharmacy sections and/or other medical center services, requiring minimal intervention from higher-level supervisor.
7. Defines and establishes effective process monitors and quality controls for clinical activities. Ensures continuous quality improvement through regular monitoring and reviews.
8. The incumbent plans short- and long-range objectives, achieves results, and ensures customer satisfaction within resource constraints.
9. Serves on medical center and/or VISN committees as requested.
10. Adheres to all medical center and department policies and regulations. Manages information security to assure computer system security and confidentiality of sensitive information. Limits employee access to sensitive information to what is necessary to perform their duties and reports/address violations of information security.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Ad Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 554-60872-0

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 probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• 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

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship. Non-citizens may 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.

GS-13 Grade Determination: In addition to the GS-12 requirements (see below), applicants must have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

• GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)
  • Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1. One 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): 1. Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. 2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. 3. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. 4. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Assignment:
Pharmacy Supervisor: Responsible for the professional and administrative management of an assigned area in pharmacy service, to include budgetary execution. Such individuals have responsibilities for supervising multiple pharmacists and technicians. Manages people, maintains effective interdepartmental relations, and cooperates with other services to accomplish the medical facility's mission and goals. Develops performance standards, assures that the program area is compliant with all regulatory and accrediting body requirements, designs and implements orientation and training programs for staff, and develops and maintains systems to monitor the performance of staff activities. Develops policies and procedures relative to their assigned area.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to effectively supervise subordinate staff.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards pertaining to pharmacy.
• Skill in managing people or programs.

References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G-15, Pharmacist Qualification Standards.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the duties of this position. The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of supplies weighing at least 50 pounds, bending/stooping, pushing/pulling of automated dispensing cabinets through various terrains.

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.