Licensed Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) acts as a representative of the Pharmacy Service, in a variety of positions throughout the Healthcare System. The CPS functions at the highest level of clinical pharmacy practice and works independently under a scope of practice in practice area(s) based on their knowledge, competencies, clinical experience, and skills.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

The practice for the CPS consists of direct and indirect patient care, drug therapy monitoring, prescriptive authority, quality assurance/improvement, and staff/patient education. At least 25% of the CPS's time is spent performing these high-level practice activities. The CPS is specially prepared by education, training, (i.e. advanced degree, licensure, and clinical experiences to skillfully apply the knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmaco-economics and pharmacotherapeutics in the clinical management of patients. The CPS is able to effectively influence clinical decision-making through communication, both orally and in the electronic medical record. The CPS participates in a professional practice evaluation (PPE) program (ongoing and focused, as appropriate). The CPS is knowledgeable, competent, and able to perform all the clinical and dispensing functions listed in the Clinical Pharmacist functional statement however spends the majority of time working at the top of their license. The CPS is responsible to the Associate Chief, Clinical Pharmacy Programs and ultimately to the Chief, Pharmacy Service.

Functions, Assigned Duties and Responsibilities include and not limited to the following:

• Functions independently under an individual scope of practice as defined by the health care system for chronic disease states with comprehensive medication management to provide pharmaceutical care to patients. This includes but is not limited to the design, implementation, and monitoring of therapeutic drug plans to achieve positive, definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas.
• Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record.
• Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required and communicates findings with other relevant staff when applicable.
• Monitors for and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and medication adherence issues. Documents findings per facility procedures.
• Applies knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care; recognizes and takes necessary and appropriate action on significant abnormalities.
• Has expertise in the principles of clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and is knowledgeable and able to make dose adjustments and/or recommendations based on objective laboratory findings.
• Performs patient care activities in working directly or indirectly with the health care team and patient, encompassing a variety of modalities and professional responsibilities.
• Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable.
• Reviews literature routinely to provide an evaluation of efficacy, safety, and cost effectiveness for routine patient care and projects as assigned. Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management. Assists with Medication Use Evaluations (MUE) and other Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee related activities.
• Documents clinical interventions in a timely and professional manner as appropriate.
• Promotes and monitors compliance for established drug therapy policies in accordance with VHA/DoD guidance or latest evidence-based practice.
• Works with providers to ensure compliance with national, VISN, and local initiatives.
• Uses appropriate references to research drug information and serves as an expert on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians and students.
• Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers.
• Serves on medical center and/or VISN committees as requested.
• Other duties as assigned.

VA Careers - Pharmacy :

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm

Compressed/Flexible :Not Authorized

Telework : Ad-Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

This is Bargaining Unit Position

Requirements

Help

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 ( 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

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. 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: View phone number on click.appcast.io, or through their Web site at: (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 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.

Physical Requirements . See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English.

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.

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.

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist.

The Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) 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 Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) 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:

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 residency, PGY2 in Acute Care, Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy or Geriatrics, Healthcare Trainee precepting experience, experience managing acute care patients involving interdisciplinary team discussion and intervention documentation with scope of practice or policies granting autonomy, Quality improvement project or MUE experience.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Physical Requirements: There may be some walking, standing, sitting, bending, and carrying of light items.

Education

MPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.