Clinical Pharmacist-Inpatient

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The clinical pharmacist provides comprehensive pharmaceutical care to hospitalized patients in accordance with federal law, VA policy, and recognized standards of practice. Clinical: The pharmacist provides appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects, and clinical outcome and advises prescribers as appropriate.

Performs evaluation and assessment of prescribed medication to ensure optimal drug therapy; reviews medication orders for appropriateness, therapeutic duplication, drug-drug and drug-disease interactions, allergies, dosage, and route of administration prior to dispensing. Provides medication counseling to patients, family members and care givers as appropriate. Performs medication reconciliation upon all transitions of care.

Participates in interdisciplinary rounds, providing evidence-based recommendations for medication therapy management. Monitors and documents patient response to drug therapy, including laboratory results and clinical parameters, and communicates necessary interventions to the medical team. Provides pharmacokinetic consultations, including dosing of antimicrobials, anticoagulants, and other medications requiring therapeutic drug monitoring.

Evaluates and provides recommendations for medication regimens to ensure compliance with VA formulary, criteria for use, and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. Documents all clinical interventions and recommendations in the electronic medical record according to facility policy. Participates in quality assurance activities, medication use evaluations, and performance improvement initiatives related to patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. Assumes active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members. Order-Entry/ Dispensing Reviews / accurately verifies all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount prior to dispensing.

Reviews the patient's allergy history, drug-drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately Selects, compounds, dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations and narcotics while following all quality assurance procedures Supports inventory control procedures; helps to maintain adequate drug stock; inspects drug storage areas; supervises pre-packing and the operation of automated dispensing equipment Complies with all USP 797, DEA and Joint Commission guidelines when preparing and dispensing medications.

Oversees the work performed by pharmacy technicians. Assists with Outpatient Pharmacy prescription processing. Performs other related duties as required. Work Schedule: 7 days on and 7 days off: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm Saturday and Sunday; 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Monday; 9:00 am - 8:30pm Tuesday - Friday. Work schedule subject to change due to the needs of the agency. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60583F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. (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).

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.

NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. § 7402(f)).

Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification. (1) Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B).

The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed. (2) Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, pharmacists must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unlicensed pharmacist with the written requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline.

Failure to become licensed within 2 years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0660 Pharmacist series and may result in termination of employment. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist. 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 Specialized experience includes, but are not limited to: reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness; processing and filling medication orders; interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care; reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems; contacting providers as appropriate; documenting recommendations and interventions; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; taking health and medication histories; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); assisting in medical emergencies; providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following: 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: Inpatient 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 GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.