The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Inpatient Mental Health/Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program) functions at the highest level of clinical practice under a scope of practice. This position will cover inpatient Mental Health patients, is a member of Mental Health Consult Team and will help cover the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder clinic in addition to Valor Point programs. 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. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). 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-13 Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Must demonstrate the following KSAs; a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Preferred Experience: PGY1 and PYG2 in Mental Health is preferred or equivalent experience in Mental Health (specifically inpatient). 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-12 . The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. ["Customer Service 1. Relationships with patient, executive management, co-workers, other facility employees and the general public are consistently courteous, respectful, and cooperative in nature. Responds to the needs of the service in a courteous and timely manner. 2. Acts as a team member and is supportive of the group's efforts at all times. Direct Patient Care Activities (Mid-level provider) 1. Core functions include face-to-face encounters with referred patients, for comprehensive medication management. 2. Rounding with Mental Health Providers on inpatient mental health patients, including the Mental Health Consult Liaison Team. 3. Functions as a mid-level provider to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas. 4. Orders, performs, reviews, and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. 5. Follows-up on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy, i.e. changes in medication therapy, monitoring, and additional testing requirements. 6. Functions as a mid-level provider to design, implement and monitor the treatment of substance use disorders 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 provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. 2. Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider as appropriate. 3. Monitor and report drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures. 4. Review laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognizes significant abnormalities, and makes dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. 5. Processes outpatient prescriptions and coordinates for appropriate delivery or transfer of those prescriptions to the patient 6. Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable. 7. Assists Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee with medication use evaluations and other safety initiatives. 8. Documents clinical interventions in CPRS in a timely and professional manner as appropriate. 9. Promotes and monitors compliance for established drug therapy policies. 10. Works with providers to ensure compliance with national, VISN, and local initiatives. 11. Reviews and verifies medication orders for appropriateness and to reduce potential risk of adverse drug events. Education and Research: 1. Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and other medical center personnel as required. 2. Uses written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others. 3. May serve as preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents in accordance with established policies. 4. Assists in new employee orientation sessions as scheduled. Drug Information: 1. Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance, to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians and students. Uses appropriate references to research drug information. 2. Has a good working knowledge of information resources, both written and electronic. 3. Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management. 4. Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. 5. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Is able to adjust communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations. Is able to accurately assess and document patient comprehension. Is able to refer patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams. Program Management: 1. Serves on medical center and/or VISN committees as requested. 2. Adheres to all medical center and department policies and regulations. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Telework: Available ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 554-58994-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
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.
