Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is ONLY open to current permanent Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) Employees including satellite

• Performs the full range of accepted ethical and professional practices of pharmacy, observing all legal requirements.
• Performs basic clinical services as per scope of practice, which impact positively and improve patient drug therapy and effectiveness.
• Performs and/or supervises distributive services which are appropriate and consistent with state-of-the-art pharmacy practice.
• Supervises and teaches supportive personnel, residents, and students.

Clinical

• Reviews patient prescription and medical records to identify, resolve and monitor drug-related problems and potential problems to include adverse drug reactions, drug interactions (drug, lab, food), inappropriate dosage, polypharmacy, patient compliance, and to facilitate timeliness of discharge prescriptions, outpatient prescriptions and inpatient medication orders.
• Provides consultation to physicians, nurses and other health professionals on pharmacotherapy including basic and patient specific drug therapy.
• Serves as a resource for general pharmaceutical information and expertise to other health professionals. May provide specialized drug therapy information to other pharmacists and health professionals underdeveloped protocols when competence is demonstrated.
• Interviews patients to obtain and record in the medical records pertinent information required for dosing determination and medication histories.
• Interacts directly with patients by evaluating patients' ability to understand medication instruction, providing oral and written counseling as appropriate on their drug therapy, and documenting these activities. Assures the patient medication list is caregiver. Assures that the medical record contains an accurate and complete medication list and that this list is provided to the patient upon discharge from the facility.
• Documents in the medical records patient education and information regarding side effects of pharmacologic therapy or treatment rationale.
• Participates in pertinent clinical pharmacy programs designed to maximize pharmacotherapeutic benefits from patient outcomes and cost perspectives.

Education

• Serves as a role model to residents and students.
• Assists in the orientation and training for all new pharmacy staff members, students, and trainees when requested.
• Participates in self-development activities to improve professional and administrative proficiency and potential.

Quality Assurance

• Performs evaluations and maintains quality assurance monitoring records (ie maintenance of automated dispensing units, tracking dispensing errors, 72-hour narcotic inventories, etc).
• Participates on professional committees of the hospital and Pharmacy Service as assigned.
• Collaborates with Clinical Pharmacists to perform medication use evaluation in conjunction with the Medication Use Evaluation Subcommittee and quality assurance programs for the medical center.
• Assists with the Quality Assurance (QA) program within Pharmacy Service as it relates to Clinical Practice.
• Participates in self-development activities to improve professional and administrative proficiency and potential.
• Performs evaluations and maintains quality assurance monitoring records (ie maintenance of automated dispensing units, tracking dispensing errors, 72 hour narcotic inventories, etc).

Work Schedule: Rotating 8 hour shifts between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., to include weekends and holidays (Subject to change per the needs of the service)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 598-00226-F/00151-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting the position of Clinical Pharmacist, GS-0660-11/12, with the Department of Veterans Affairs, you may be required to serve a 2 year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider the following:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the
• agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

If you do not receive certification for continued employment, you should receive written notice prior to the end of your rial period that your employment will be terminated and the effective date of such termination.

Qualifications

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:

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).

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.

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).

GS 11
Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

GS 12
Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:

• 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level,

OR

• Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs):

• Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
• Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Preferred Experience: Ambulatory Care Pharmacy 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 in the range of Grade 11 to Grade 12.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

• Cover Letter
• License
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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