Clarification from the agency

This job opportunity announcement is only open to current employees permanently assigned to VISN 1: VA New England Healthcare System. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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

The Chief of Pharmacy Service is responsible for planning, coordinating, managing, and maintaining comprehensive clinical, distributive, logistical, educational, research and administrative Pharmacy programs and services to support the Medical Center's mission. The Pharmacy Chief oversees clinical pharmacy intervention and distribution for multiple Medical Center practice settings, (e.g., hospital-ambulatory care, Home Based Primary Care, and Mental Health and Behavioral Health services) that require Joint Commission review as separate standards. In addition to supporting the Center's Primary Care clinics, the Chief provides on-site clinical pharmacy services and distribution of medications and vaccines to seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) at Burlington, Newport, Rutland, Brattleboro, and Bennington VT, as well as two CBOCs in Littleton and Keene NH. The Chief of Pharmacy also oversees contractual services for urgent medication fills at retail pharmacies in the vicinity of CBOCs, virtual inpatient pharmacist service during night and holiday hours as needed, and engineering controls and certification of clean room services for sterile compounding. The Chief of Pharmacy is also the Primary Contracting Officer Representative for the national pharmacy Prime Vendor Contract. The Chief of Pharmacy actively participates in VISN and national level advisory/work groups and is the subject matter expert on all policy and procedural matters related to WRJ VAMC Pharmacy Service.

The Chief of Pharmacy provides evidence-based and cost-conscious Pharmacy Benefits to WRJ VAMC beneficiaries within established formulary and budgetary parameters. This is accomplished using analytic tools to establish, monitor, improve and sustain high performance levels. To meet these goals, the Pharmacy is comprised of several different services are aligned under separate supervisors: associate chief for outpatient services, inpatient and clinical supervisor, pharmacoeconomic/procurement supervisor, and technician supervisor. The supervisors report directly to the Chief of Pharmacy. The Chief of Pharmacy represents the VAMC Pharmacy Service within the Medical Center, the community, state and national professional organizations/affiliations, and veteran service organizations.

The Pharmacy Service is responsible for providing experiential training opportunities for pharmacy students. WRJ VAMC Pharmacy's major affiliations are with the schools of pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy (Boston, Manchester Campuses), University of Connecticut, and Albany College of Pharmacy (Albany, Colchester VT campuses). The WRJ VAMC Pharmacy submitted a Request for Proposal to initiate ASHP accredited residency program for PGY-2 Pharmacy residency starting with two post-doctoral pharmacy fellowships. In addition, WRJ VAMC pharmacy will serve as the template for a new national initiative for the promotion of clinical pharmacists to Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners (CPP) that serve a midlevel primary care providers.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST
Ad Hoc Telework: Telework that occurs on an occasional, non-routine basis. Telework that occurs to complete short-term special assignments or to accommodate special circumstances even though the telework arrangement may occur continuously for a limited and specific period of time.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 405-F06414
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Required

Note:

• This position is not a Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by a special rate.
• Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.
• Current Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

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 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 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

COVERAGE. Requirements for appointment as a Licensed Pharmacist in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are as follows:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States.

b. 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 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).

c. 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.

d. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

GRADE REQUIREMENTS

a. Creditable Experience

(1) 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.

(2) 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).

(3) 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.

(4) 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-15

(a) Experience. In addition to the GS-14 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

(b) Grade Level Criteria. At the GS-15 level, Chiefs of Pharmacy must meet the following:

1. Individuals are assigned as Chiefs of Pharmacy at Complexity Level 1a, 1b or 1c VHA facilities; or

2. Individuals are assigned as Chief of Pharmacy at Complexity Levels 2 or 3 and must meet the criteria noted in 2a and b below.

a. Must meet all of the following requirements:

(1) Manages a complex medical center based pharmacy program that is defined as having multiple practice settings (e.g. hospital ambulatory care, long-term care, behavior health care) that require Joint Commission review as separate standards.

(2) In addition to the medical center pharmacy, has responsibility for pharmacy services at one or more of the following: CBOCs, Rural Health Program, domiciliary, or provides dispensing and/or clinical services to State Veterans Home.

(3) Presence of advanced clinical pharmacy programs that include pharmacist(s) that have approved scopes of practice with prescriptive privileges.

(4) Pharmacy provides clinical pharmacist services to three (3) or more specialty areas such as, but not limited to, hemodialysis, oncology, operating room or an emergency department.

b. In addition to the requirements listed in 2a above, must meet at least two of the following:

(1) An ASHP Accredited Pharmacy Residency Program.

(2) A Research Program that is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP).

(3) Actively involved in committees or advisory/work groups at the VISN and/or National level.

(4) An ongoing pharmacy student rotation in both the intermediate and advanced practice experience settings.

(c) 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.

1. Service Chief. Responsible for all aspects of pharmacy services at a medical facility by maintaining effective interdepartmental relationships demonstrating active problem resolution skills and close cooperation with other programs and services in accomplishing the medical facility mission and goals. Responsible for budget management, determining resource needs, allocating resources, ensuring proper utilization in productivity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the operation. Formulates objectives and priorities and implements plans consistent with the long term interest of the organization, capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks. Responsible for compliance with all safety, regulatory, and accrediting body requirements. Delegates authority to several supervisory and program levels to meet the goals of the service and staff. Ensures orientation and training programs are established to ensure staff development, oversees academic affiliations, and participates in medical facility, VISN, National, other external governmental agencies, and professional associations.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Former VA Handbook Reference: PART II APPENDIX G15

Effective Date: June 7, 2012

Physical Requirements: Principle duties of this position requires moderate lifting, walking, reaching above head, bending, stooping, standing, kneeling, pushing, pulling, lifting/carrying of items and coordination for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Must be able to wear personal protective equipment, including respirators while on duty.

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
• 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.

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
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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

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