Clarification from the agency

This is open to current Veteran Health Administration Employees and Past/Current/Upcoming VHA HPT Graduates.

Videos

DIRECT PATIENT CARE ACTIVITIES:

• Functions as a mid-level practitioner to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas.
• Orders, performs, and interprets the physical measurements necessary to monitor, support, and modify the patient's medication therapy.
• Ordering, subsequent review, and action on appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor, support, and modify the patient's drug therapy.
• Ordering and prescribing medications, vaccines, devices, and supplies to include to initiation, continuation, discontinuation, monitoring, and/or altering therapy.
• Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, pharmacokinetic impact, and therapeutic outcomes as required; information is, communicated with team members and appropriate alternatives to current, treatment plans are provided.
• Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Incumbent adjusts communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations.
• Accurately assesses and documents patient comprehension. Refers patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams.

INDIRECT PATIENT CARE:

• Reviews 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 provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed.
• Documents pharmaceutical care plan and interventions performed in electronic health record and/or facility specific programs in accordance with policies and facility by-laws.
• Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable and as assigned.
• Develop, upgrade, and disseminate acceptable criteria for use of formulary and non-formulary medications and other high-cost items directed at employed cost effectiveness with compromising the quality of patient care.
• Dissemination of information may occur in a setting requiring speaking in front of a large group of providers and/or practitioners.

MEDICATION DISPENSING & DISTRIBUTION:

• Responsible for processing all electronic orders for assigned team as requested or needed including verifying patient information, correct medication dose, route, and frequency of administration. All orders are checked for patient allergies, drug interactions, incompatibilities, duplication, and priority.
• Identifies, interprets, and resolves prescribing and dispensing issues, including pharmacotherapeutics and the formulary. Documents interventions within the specified timeframe if applicable.
• Dispenses controlled substances with accuracy according to current policies and procedures

EDUCATION:

• Serves as an advocate for the pharmacy profession and educates team members on PACT and CPP processes.
• Participates in the development and implementation of different education as needed. Assists with timely training or in-servicing of any health care provider including but not limited to physicians, residents, technicians, pharmacists, students, or nurses.
• Provides drug information and drug literature evaluations as requested by the professional staff

ADMINISTRATIVE & TECHNICAL SUPPORT:

• Work with other health care providers to develop programs for improvement of drug use
• Documents cost reduction/cost avoidance activities on a periodic basis.
• Participates in the appropriate, effective, and safe use of pharmaceuticals by contributing to criteria development, data collection, quality assurance, medication use evaluation, and other quality improvement activities for core practice area(s) as identified.
• Effectively manages and supervises technical support in the areas of clinical responsibilities, such as Automated Dispensing Machine (e.g. Pyxis) and Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) support.
• Involved in facility-wide committees, workgroups, or other interdisciplinary groups of the like and attends meetings as the subject matter expert for the assigned team to optimize patient outcomes as required by the pharmacy department.

Work Schedule: The position requires the incumbent to be able to work any day of the week, including weekends and holidays. This full-time position will be 40 hours/week unless otherwise stated. The incumbent will work on-site throughout the tour of duty.
Telework: Not Suitable.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

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 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).
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• 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.
• 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.)

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING GRADE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

GS-13 Grade Requirements:
EXPERIENCE: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients.

• A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services.
• This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must 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

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements:

• The work requires regular and recurring visual and physical exertion, involving looking at computer screens and other digital devices throughout the day, sitting for prolonged periods of time, typing, walking distances within the medical center, frequent twisting/turning, and bending/stooping.
• The incumbent must be able to perform lifting/carrying, pushing, or pulling different types of equipment such as cabinets, carts or supplies weighing at maximum 50 pounds through various terrains
• This position routinely prepares medications that requires special handling and documentation including but not limited to hazardous drug medications.
• Must be able to wear appropriate respiratory and other personal protective equipment (i.e., N-95s, PAPRs) as required by policy.

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.