Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist) - Pain Management

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Area of consideration- Eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred in the following order: Current Permanent VA employees of the facility All other VA employees All other applicants

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

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Functions as an advanced practice provider for CMM services to achieve defined outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned care area(s).
• Functions as part of the interdisciplinary team to provide CMM for pain management.
• Performs limited external physical assessment and performs medication reconciliation in alignment with established policies or procedures.
• Provides CMM for complex patients with chronic diseases including, but not limited to, alcohol misuse/use disorder and tobacco misuse/use disorder; orders and interprets labs or other needed tests pertinent to CMM and makes needed referrals. May also treat other co-morbid conditions (in alignment with scope of practice).
• Determines if a referral to a physician is necessary when disease progression occurs, or adverse drug events require a higher level of treatment intervention.
• Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate recommendations for alternatives to current treatment plans as needed.
• Monitors and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures and in accordance with the VAADERS Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting program.
• Provides input and recommendations as the pain medication expert on the interdisciplinary pain management team during routine patient care planning or targeted complex or high-risk reviews.
• Provides formal and informal education and in-services to pharmacy, medical, nursing and other staff as requested.
• Participates in self-development activities to maintain and strengthen professional competence in pain management.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30AM - 4:00 pm OR 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 93263-0
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.
• 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 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

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:
  • (1) 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.)
  • (2) 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.

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:

• Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following 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: Residency Training (PGY-1 and/or PGY-2 in Pain Management), and/or experience as a clinical pharmacy practitioner with a scope of practice in an ambulatory pain management clinic.

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: Reaching: This position requires frequent extension of the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction including above or below shoulder level, including retrieval of needed equipment and supplies. Standing: This position frequently requires the maintenance of an upright position to perform duties such as those associated with patient care. Walking: This position requires frequent moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, such as delivering mail. Lifting: This position requires occasional raising of objects from a lower position to a higher position or the movement of objects horizontally position to position. Lifting may be done in the movement of equipment or supplies. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 25 pounds of force frequently to move objects. Fingering/hands: This position requires constant writing or otherwise working with fingers and/or hands, including one or both hands to include duties such as entering information into the computer, etc. Talking: This position requires constant expression of ideas by means of the spoken word, including the provision of information to internal and external contacts, and the sharing of information with co-workers. Hearing: This position requires constant perception of sounds at normal range, including the reception of oral communication both in person and over the phone. Repetitive motions: This position requires constant substantial movements (motion) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers, as is done when entering information into the computer. Vision: This position requires constant ability to see near and far, requires depth perception and the ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of colors when reading computer monitors, etc. Balancing: This position requires constant maintenance of equilibrium to prevent falling such as assisting co-workers and external customers with activity. Bending: This position requires frequent bending of the body downward and forward to assume appropriate-level position to retrieve items. Kneeling: This position requires occasional bending of legs at knee to come to a rest or kneel in order to assume an appropriate-level position for retrieval of items. Crouching: This position requires occasional bending of the body downward and forward in order to assume an appropriate-level position to retrieve items. Pushing: This position requires occasional use of the upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward, as in pushing of AV equipment. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 25 pounds of force frequently to move objects. Pulling: This position requires occasional use of the upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion, as in pulling equipment from one area to the next. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 25 pounds of force frequently to move objects. Grasping: This position frequently requires the application of pressure to an object with the fingers and palm, as in the holding of a pen to jot notes, messages, etc. Feeling: This position frequently requires the perception of attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips and palms. Sitting: This position frequently requires the maintenance of a seated position, as when seated to work at the computer and while participating in meetings. Carrying: This position occasionally requires the use of upper extremities to hold or grasp and lower extremities to move about on foot to move objects from position to position. Tasting/smelling: This position requires occasional exposure to smells that may be strong in nature. Climbing: This position occasionally requires moving from one place to another on foot, utilizing one or both legs, and/or utilizing both legs and arms to change one's position in space, either upward or downward as in when climbing the stairs between floors.

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.

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

• License
• Resume
• 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.

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 (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• 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.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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