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 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 programs; 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 (TOEF iBT).
- Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.
- English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d).
Applicants 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).
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
1. At least 3+ years of Clinical Pharmacy Specialist experience
2. Completion of an ASHP accredited PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency or equivalent experience
3. Completion of a PGY-2 Pain Management and Palliative Care Pharmacy Residency, Ambulatory Care, Psychiatric Pharmacy or equivalent experience
4. Board Certification in Pain Management, or Pharmacotherapy, Psychiatry or Ambulatory Care
5. Eligible to obtain DEA registration for controlled substance prescribing
Grade Requirements:
Creditable Experience Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board.
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).
Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination.
Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
GS-13 Pharmacy Supervisor
Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, you must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
Assignments. Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
Pharmacy Supervisor. Responsible for the professional and administrative management of an assigned area in pharmacy service, to include budgetary execution. Such individuals have responsibilities for supervising multiple pharmacists and technicians. Manages people, maintains effective interdepartmental relations, and cooperates with other services to accomplish the medical facility's mission and goals. Develops performance standards, assures that the program area is compliant with all regulatory and accrediting body requirements, designs and implements orientation and training programs for staff, and develops and maintains systems to monitor the performance of staff activities. Develops policies and procedures relative to their assigned area.
Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:
a. Ability to effectively supervise subordinate staff.
b. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
c. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards pertaining to pharmacy.
d. Skill in managing people or programs.
NOTE: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/55PART II APPENDIX G15, LICENSED PHARMACIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD
The performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.