The Inpatient Clinical Pharmacist (Operations Assistant) will be primarily assigned to inpatient pharmacy in order to maintain and work proactively on all pharmacist scheduling, training, automation, operations, medication safety, quality projects, auditing and survey readiness. The Clinical Pharmacist support inpatient pharmacy in various administrative and operational ways and complexity of this critical area. 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: You 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.) OR 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. 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: In addition to the Basic Requirements above, applicants must meet the following grade requirements. EXPERIENCE FOR GS-12 LEVEL: You must have one year of directly related experience equivalent to the next lower grade level OR, Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.GS-12 Requirements: In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must met the following grade requirements. AND, 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. 2. Residency and Fellowship Training. Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable. GS-12 Assignment: A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. These include, but are not limited to: reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness; processing and filling medication orders; interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care; reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems; contacting providers as appropriate; documenting recommendations and interventions; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; taking health and medication histories; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); assisting in medical emergencies; providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution. Preferred Experience: Acute care inpatient pharmacy with 3 to 5 years of experience. 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-12. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. There may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items. ["Administrative Functions: Develops pharmacist schedules and addresses schedule changes in order to main an appropriate level of staffing. Coordinates implementation and education of pharmacy projects related to automation and/or medication operationalization. Reviews and implements existing and new policies and procedures related to inpatient pharmacy services. Facilitates verbal and written communication with inpatient pharmacy staff in the absence of the supervisor. Assists in developing and maintaining a cooperative working relationship with other departments such that the overall activities and scope of pharmacy services rendered are carried out efficiently. Plans and implements Pharmacy Service quality assurance programs related to safety and/or quality, and maintains records appropriately. Assists with the guidance and direction of the Pharmacy Service and assists in reviewing the work and projects of pharmacy residents and students. Actively provides insight and direction for clinical, operations, and safety-related activities within the department. Participates in various councils, committees, and/or performance improvement teams as requested. Accurately completes all assignments in a timely manner as defined by the Chief of Pharmacy or other team member within the pharmacy leadership team. Program Monitoring Evaluation: Compiles data and pharmacy metrics within Pharmacy Service for review and assessment by supervisor and pharmacy leadership to evaluate workflow, efficiency, productivity, and performance. Conducts necessary training, including coordination and evaluation of training for new inpatient pharmacy staff. Proactively engages in survey readiness and preparations for visits from accrediting bodies. Maintains and implements internal control systems consistent with department guidelines to ensure optimal safety and effective operations. Internal reports and information are submitted in a timely fashion when requested. Topics include quality assurance, safety, and environmental controls. Scheduled and impromptu internal program reviews and inspections of pharmacy environments are conducted to assure program effectiveness. Corrective action, where indicated, is initiated in a timely and effective manner. Visits from accrediting bodies indicate at least a satisfactory level of program effectiveness. Required facility-level corrective actions are accomplished in a timely fashion and are monitored for effectiveness. Medication Dispensing: Performs inpatient/outpatient electronic order assessment to verify patient information, correct medication dose, route, frequency, and duration of administration. Orders are also reviewed for allergies, drug interactions, incompatibilities, duplication, and appropriateness of drug choice. This occurs once per pay period at minimum. Identifies, interprets, and resolves prescribing and dispensing issues; provides pharmacotherapeutic analyses, medication reconciliation, and documents interventions when appropriate. Dispenses controlled substances for inpatients and outpatients with accuracy, per current policies and procedures of the institution. Ensures compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations. Coordinates activities of pharmacy technicians and/or volunteers engaged in the preparation, labeling, dispensing, compounding, and delivery of medications and/or pharmaceutical supplies. Maintains a liaison relationship with medical and nursing staff by providing timely information pertaining to pharmaceutical supplies, medication usage, and compatibility information. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 11:00am - 7:30pm. 12:00pm - 8:30pm and 1:00pm - 9:30pm Telework: Available - AD-HOC ONLY Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00440F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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.
