Works to promote the use of medicine in view of patient disease state(s) and clinical response. Functions include interpretation of providers orders, drug regimen review, therapeutic drug monitoring, initiation of drug therapy changes in dose, dosage form and therapeutic substitution as per provider consultation. Supports the general operations including non-formulary review, prescription/order processing, outpatient dispensing where required and patient consultation. 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. 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.) 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. 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, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. 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. 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work involves long periods of moving, standing and pushing carts about the work unit. The work requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting. The incumbent must be a mature, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, demonstrating cheerfulness, compassion, courtesy and concern for staff and patients. Must possesses math skills in order to convert medications to the correct dosing. ["VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Duties may include but not limited to: A. Distributive 1.Interprets medication orders (verbal & written) and transcribes to computerized patient medication orders accurately and according to established policies, procedures and protocols. a)Maintains accurate, complete medication profile. b)Maintains records as required by law c)Has the ultimate responsibility in facilitating the delivery of the correct drug in the correct dosage to the correct patient. 2.Evaluate drug therapy regimens for contraindications, drug-drug interactions, drug food interactions, allergies and appropriateness of drug and dose within the context of the individual patients' medical conditions. 3.The Inpatient Pharmacist will support the sterile products program (e.g. TPN, Chemotherapy, etc). 4.The Inpatient Pharmacist are responsible for resolving a variety of questions posed by physicians, nurses and co-workers related to drugs, pharmacy services and departmental policies and procedures. 5.The Inpatient Pharmacists will be able to interpret various VA, Federal (FDA, DEA), other regulatory agency compliance standards (e.g. Joint Commission, USP 795 / 797 / 800, etc), Facility and Pharmacy Service policies and be able to apply the same to given situations. 6.The Inpatient Pharmacist must have the ability to exercise sound judgment in a variety of situations and be able to refer matters of policy making to a supervisor. 7. Contributes to the quality and effective operation of the department a) Supervises and directs pharmacy support personnel in the absence of a supervisor. Verifies the daily activities of pharmacy technicians. b) Works independently with minimal supervisor. Organizes and prioritizes work assignments. c) Ensures pharmacy services are provided in a timely and efficient manner. d) Keeps pharmacy area and equipment clean, neat, and well-organized. e) Able to multi-task e.g. able to continue to process orders and answer questions from technical staff and/or patients (via phone or in-person). 8. The Inpatient Pharmacist is required to perform all pharmacy related activities as assigned. 9. Provide quality control analysis for dispensing activities of automated dispensing equipment and pharmacy technicians. B. Education 1. Trains professional staff including pharmacy, nursing, medical staff (including fellows & residents) and students. 2. Interfaces with other health-care providers and administrators to ensure compliance with established pharmacy and medical center policies and procedures. 3. Maintains competence required for current position including required TMS training, and BLS certification. C. Administration / Technical Support 1. Participates in Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting & medication error reporting. 2. Works with other health care providers to develop programs for improvement of drug use. 3. Develops and conducts drug usage evaluation in areas of needs from a cost and patient outcome perspective. 4. Supports the hospital formulary and ensures its appropriate utilization by health care providers. 5. Supports an effective quality assurance program for the inpatient pharmacy section that meets the changing service, patient, and/or Medical Center needs. 6. When required, effectively manages and supervises technical support in the areas of clinical responsibilities. Work Schedule: M-F 7:30am to 4:00pm, Rotating nights, weekends, and holidays will be required. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 52958A 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.
