Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

Summary

The Oncology Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) functions at the highest level of clinical practice as a mid-level practitioner, working independently under their scope of practice. CPP works collaboratively as a member on an interdisciplinary team in active pharmacotherapy management for medication optimization in a vulnerable patient population and assists in the educational mission of the Pharmacy Service.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Pharmacy :

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE INCLUDE:

Clinical:

• Assess and develop selection of evidence-based and therapeutically appropriate anticancer therapies based on Veteran diagnosis, performance status, organ function, disease staging and pertinent pharmacogenomic status.
• Develop and implement evidence based anticancer order set to standardize therapy approaches to ensure safety, efficacy, and completeness of anticancer treatment protocols. Assess, select, and initiate primary and secondary supportive care elements for inclusion in anticancer order sets based on anticancer protocol risk.
• Primary supportive care therapies for anticancer treatment include but are not limited to addition of growth factor support based on regimen risk of febrile neutropenia, infection prophylaxis, prevention and treatment of chemotherapy induced nausea/vomiting, diarrhea/constipation, anticipated skin toxicities, therapy induced electrolyte imbalances, risk of hypersensitivity reactions, drug interactions, thrombosis prevention, etc.
• Assess, monitor, and manage anticancer therapy adverse drug reactions or toxicities including but not limited to hypersensitivity reactions, refractory nausea/vomiting, therapy induced cytopenia's (including neutropenia and anemia), infection, QT prolongation, immune-mediated toxicities, organ dysfunction, diarrhea/constipation, dermatologic reactions, fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, and drug interactions.
• Initiate, monitor, modify and discontinue medications as part of management of clinical effectiveness and toxicity.
• Review primary literature resources and appropriate guidelines (e.g., NCCN, ASCO) when evaluating, recommending, or implementing anticancer therapy and supportive care.

Education:

• Maintains professional competency on drug therapies and innovations in pharmacy practice pertinent to the care provided in this health care system.
• Provides medication counseling to patients and/or caregivers. Evaluates the abilities of adult and geriatric patients to understand medication instructions (i.e., ability to learn, sensory limitations, past knowledge of condition, and obstacles to following treatment regimen) and provides oral and written counseling on their drug therapy.
• Assists in the development, coordination and provision of drug therapy in-service programs, staff development programs, patient education programs, and other system- wide drug information programs.

Administrative Support/Program Management:

• Performs proper recordkeeping and maintains proper documentation when required or appropriate for all clinical activity and patient interventions.
• Ensures sensitive data for patient files, both printed and electronic, remain confidential. Ensures ADP systems for pharmacy practice and patient care are utilized for official duties and remain secure.
• Provides professional guidance and leadership to their assigned work team(s) to deliver patient care services in accordance with established standards of practice (i.e., DEA, VHA, JCAHO, health care system, departmental policy & procedures, applicable state laws, etc.) and in support of established VHA and VISN 15 performance measures.
• Actively participates in various quality management and performance improvement activities such as drug utilization evaluations, drug class reviews, adverse drug reaction monitoring, new drug request reviews, prior approval/non-formulary drug reviews, ongoing drug monitors, and a variety of other activities associated with the provision of pharmaceutical care.
• Helps manage multiple complex medication management along with veterans' chemotherapy regimens (i.e., chronic anticoagulation, diabetes management, lipid management, hypertension management, pain management, formulary management, utilization review, etc.) that are applicable

Research:

• May participate in research studies under FDA guidelines that have undergone review and approval by the Research & Development Committee and the Investigational Review Board.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:

• The Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner reports to the Associate Chief, Clinical Pharmacy Services or Chief of Pharmacy. Delegated medical care functions are reviewed and supervised by the collaborating physician.
• The Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner has independent clinical and administrative responsibility for their practice, with general supervisory direction from the Associate Chief, Clinical Pharmacy Services and Chief of Pharmacy.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Work schedule subject to change based on the needs of the facility.

Telework : Not Available

Functional Statement # : 000000

Requirements

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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 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements : Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)

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: View phone number on click.appcast.io, or through theirWeb 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.)(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.

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, which are:1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-11,

OR

Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program

AND these demonstrated KSAs:

• 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.

You must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12.

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist:

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: Board Certification in Oncology

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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.

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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.