Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. Citizens. Veterans Preference applies. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Clinical:

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Serves as an authoritative information source on drugs and their uses, with special emphasis on agents which require therapeutic monitoring including agents used in the treatment of cardiovascular, endocrine, and pulmonary disorders.
• Interfaces with physicians and other health care professionals in the care of patients to achieve rational, cost-effective drug therapy
• Designs therapeutic plans, including the choice of medication, dosage, and therapeutic endpoints, based on patient specific information available from the medical record, patient or his representative, and physician using accepted pharmacokinetic concepts and pharmacodynamic principles and consistent with policies/guidelines established at the national, VISN, HSA, and local levels.
• With approved clinical privileges outlined in a scope of practice and under the appropriate supervision of a physician, assumes authority to direct drug therapy and order laboratory tests as indicated to monitor drug therapy.
• Evaluates the drug literature to compare and contrast therapeutic regimens.
• Recognizes the important medical problems, disease states, symptoms, and abnormal findings which may necessitate alteration of drug therapy or which may be induced by drug therapy when given a verbal or written patient presentation of symptoms, signs, laboratory tests, and diagnoses.
• Develops, implements and maintains a pharmaceutical care clinic to ensure timely follow-up of selected patients with chronic diseases as applicable.
• Establishes and expands the patient database through interpretation of medication history, physical examination, and ongoing patient specific monitoring of drug therapy and documents this information in the formal patient medical record.
• Serves as a liaison for pharmacy service.
• Maintains awareness of quality indicators for assigned PACT teams and efforts, through population management, to identify patients who may benefit from PACT clinical pharmacy specialist services.

Education and Training Functions:

• Assesses and provides for the educational needs of the patient and family to help ensure that pharmaceutical outcome goals are met.
• Provides specialized education and training support to other professional services in the broad area of advanced pharmacotherapeutics.
• Serves as a clinical resource in the broad area of medication use in patients.
• Supervises undergraduate and graduate pharmacy students on assigned rotations.
• Designs, implements, and supervises a clinical education and training program for post-PharmD. residents or fellows.
• Designs and supervises implementation of interdisciplinary programs in education, training, and clinical practice with pharmacy, medical, dental, nursing, and research services.
• Performs in-service training as scheduled.

Dispensing:

• Assures the accuracy and appropriateness of drug dispensing and compounding of medications based on patient history and medication profile review. This includes data entry into the computer, screening orders for drug-drug and drug-food interactions, dosing errors, allergies, incompatibilities, contraindications, formulary availability and final verification of the order. Consults with other health care professionals (i.e., physicians, nurses, dietitians, etc.) when necessary in all areas (i.e., Outpatient, Unit Dose, IV Admixtures, Ward Stock Pharmacy Services, CBOCs, State Veterans Centers, etc.)
• Consults with patients and medical center staff whenever there are questions concerning therapeutic or policy matters regarding outpatient prescriptions and inpatient physician orders.
• Provides quality control analysis of dispensing activities of automated dispensing equipment and pharmacy technicians.
• Utilizes innovative and creative procedures to implement cost containment.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:635-52753A
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.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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 this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 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:

• 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.

Qualifications

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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 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. (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 2 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:

GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

• Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. Pharmacists assigned to this position 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 Pharmacy Residency, PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency or equivalent 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-13.

Physical Requirements: The position may require walking, standing, and sitting for long periods of time. The position also requires climbing stairs, lifting up to 50 pounds, dexterity of the hand and wrist, and arm strength to perform dispensing of medication orders.

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.

Qualified candidates will be referred in an unranked order unless Veterans Preference rules apply. If Veterans preference apply, applicants will be referred in the following order:

1. CPS/CP
2. XP
3. TP
4. SSP
5. All others

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Transcript

Your resume/CV must include the following information for each job listed (a determination may not be able to be made if these items are missing):

• Job title and Duties
• Month & year, start/end dated (e.g. June 2020 to April 2021)
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Series and Grade, if applicable

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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