The primary functions include the interpretation and professional evaluation of provider prescriptions, dispensing of appropriate medications, supervision of pharmacy technicians, students and volunteers, plus the counseling of patients on proper medication use, medication storage and adverse affects. All pharmacists either support or actively deliver pharmaceutical care. 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 (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. 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. 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. 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. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or2. 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. Preferred Experience: Minimum 5 Years of CONTINUOUS Outpatient Experience References: A HANDBOOK 5005/55 PART II APPENDIX G15, June 7, 2012The 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-12 .Physical Requirements: Employees are typically expected to work forty hours per week. This may include evenings and weekends. Principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g., handling prescriptions, use of a computer keyboard, etc.). May require lifting and carrying light loads (up to 44lbs.), including boxes, packages, and equipment, stooping or kneeling (e.g., to pick up items from the floor, remove and replace items on lower shelves, and to file documents in lower file drawers, etc.); sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours). Normal ranges of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color. An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Employees must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used on the job. Employees may be asked to work voluntary overtime within different pharmacy locations during periods of extreme staffing shortages. If there are no volunteers, reverse seniority will be utilized to work mandatory overtime within the Pharmacy Department. ["Clinical(1) The pharmacist provides appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects and clinical outcome; and advises prescribers as appropriate.(2) Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: (a) Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen (b) Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen (c) Appropriateness of the route and method of administration (d) Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen (e) Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug disease interactions (f) Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects (g) Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy (3) Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. (4) Provides medication counseling to patients. (5) Completes medication histories including patient interviews. (6) Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers. (7) Performs medication reconciliation at all transitions of care, including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non-VA medications. This may include adding non-VA medications or discontinuing duplicate medications or those the patient is not taking (8) Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms. (9) Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. Dispensing (1) Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing. (2) Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record. (3) Fills all orders in a timely fashion; review of the patient's allergy history, drug-drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately. (4) Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved. (5) Selects, compounds, dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations in both outpatient and inpatient areas. Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable. (6) Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises prepacking and the operation of automated dispensing equipment. (7) Supervises the activities of support personnel. (8) Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations. EDUCATION (1) Provides education to health care providers regarding medication use. (2) Maintains basic knowledge of pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics in the area of practice. (3) Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members. Conducts on-the-job training and provides guidance through designated programs. (4) Keeps abreast of new developments in pharmacy practice and drug therapy by reading pharmacy and medical literature and participating in continuing education programs. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday Between 8:00am -5:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
