This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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: Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. 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 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). 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 Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist) Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Such as but 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. Please note 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 (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination). In addition to the above experience requirement, candidates must also demonstrate the below knowledge, skills, and abilities (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. Preferred Experience: PGY1 pharmacy residency and/or PGY2 Neurology residency experience preferred References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Light lifting, under 15 pounds. Light carrying, under 15 pounds. Reaching above shoulder. Use of both fingers. Walking .75 hours. Standing 4 hours. Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4. Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other. Ability to distinguish basic colors. Ability to distinguish shades of color. Hearing (aid permitted). Mental and emotional stability. Must be able to work closely with others. ["VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist assists in the management of headache disease but also the management of other neurologic disease states including but not limited to Parkinson's disease, myasthenia gravis, seizure disorders, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. The incumbent will be assessing and promoting medication adherence, performing patient education, managing blood pressure and heart rate, initiating and titrating prophylactic and therapeutic medications, assessing appropriateness of treatment plans, completing drug regimen reviews, evaluating drug-drug interactions, performing and following up with routine lab and medication monitoring, coordinating intravenous medication infusions, and completing post-discharge follow-up visits. Allowing the CPP to perform these essential duties in tandem with the existing neurology practitioners will allow the program to focus on clinic expansion, patient outreach, and care retention within the VA in a rapidly expanding population. Additional include but are not limited to the following: Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required and communicates findings with other relevant staff when applicable. Performs patient care activities in working directly or indirectly with the health care team and patient, encompassing a variety of modalities and professional responsibilities. Assists with Medication Use Evaluations (MUE) and other Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee related activities. Participates in the training and in-servicing of Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Students/Residents, and other medical center personnel as required. Includes development of educational material. Assists with the QA program within Pharmacy Service as it relates to clinical practice. Is responsible for maintaining QA data for their clinical practice focus. Participates in interdisciplinary care teams and committees to improve the quality of patient care, as well as the MUE process through proactive identification of problem areas, criteria development, analysis of findings, and recommendation of follow up actions that are deemed necessary. Documents adverse drug events in electronic medical record and assists with updating VA Adverse Drug Event Reporting System (VA ADERS). Analyzes data and completes reports, including clinical care reviews (peer reviews) in accordance with established facility policy. Prepares, submits, and presents reports for P&T Committee and other reports as assigned in a proactive, timely and accurate manner when called upon. Meets with providers regularly, in brief one-on-one and/or small group meetings, to discuss guidelines, review their prescribing profiles, and educate on relevant, newly published clinical literature. Provides lectures and/or in-service presentations related to clinical practice guidelines when requested by healthcare teams. Monitors outcomes of programs, including cost-containment (savings and avoidance), healthcare resource utilization, and clinical patient information through various tools. Continually scans and evaluates new literature, clinical evidence, and pricing changes to improve care and cost-containment initiatives. Provides guidance and methods for improving the quality of patient care and healthcare resources utilization. Provides consultation support in the field of specialty care assigned to the CPP. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact VHAVISN04HREDRP@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Required"]
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.