Clinical Pharmacist

Summary The Clinical Pharmacist Float is a licensed professional skilled in pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics. They provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care in inpatient, acute care, CLC, and outpatient settings – assessing real and potential drug issues and taking action to ensure optimal therapy. 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 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: 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.) (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 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 f English Language Proficiency Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d) 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-11 Pharmacist (a) Experience - Education - and Licensure None beyond the basic requirements (b) Assignment Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education In addition to the basic requirements - candidates must meet one of the following: 1 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level - or 2 Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program (b) Assignment A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local - Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) - and national policies and regulations These include - 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 Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs): 1 Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice 2 Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff 3 Knowledge of laws - regulations - and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security 4 Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies - including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters Preferred Experience: PGY-1/PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency Training Inpatient/Outpatient - sterile compounding and effective interpersonal communication skills Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit 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-11 to GS-12. Duties (1) 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. (2) Provides patient‑specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: (a) therapeutic appropriateness of a patient’s drug regimen; (b) therapeutic duplication; (c) appropriateness of the route and method of administration; (d) degree of patient compliance; (e) drug‑drug, drug‑food, drug‑laboratory, or drug‑disease interactions; (f) clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate efficacy and anticipate side effects; (g) physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient’s drug therapy. (3) Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. (4) Provides medication counseling to patients. (5) Completes health and medication histories including patient interviews. (6) Serves as a drug information resource by providing up‑to‑date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers. (7) May participate in patient care rounds, review charts, evaluate pertinent laboratory data, assess drug‑drug and drug‑nutrient interactions, monitor for adverse drug effects, and screen for allergies. (8) Performs medication reconciliation at all transitions of care, including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non‑VA medications. This may include adding non‑VA medications or discontinuing duplicate medications or those the patient is not taking. (9) Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms. (10) Reports adverse drug events (ADEs), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. (11) Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program. (12) Recommends formulary alternatives and completes Prior Authorization Drug Review (PADR) consults as assigned. (13) Documents recommendations and interventions. (14) Assists in medical emergencies including code teams (if ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities. (15) Provides pharmacokinetic consultation in accordance with local policy. (16) Implements P&T Committee policies, including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions, to include appropriate patient and provider education. (17) Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule. (18) Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy. (19) Manages various actions—appropriately—for medication orders to include flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the “hold medication” function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders using Service Reject. (20) Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider’s name per facility policy. (21) Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students, interns, and residents. (22) Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in‑services to nursing, medical staff, or other ancillary services. (23) Responsible for maintaining professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature—new drugs and therapies—and applying this knowledge in daily duties. (24) Able to perform both non‑sterile and sterile compounding of oral, topical, and injectable medications using proper pharmaceutical technique when assigned. Clinical pharmacists will perform non‑sterile and hazardous drug compounding in compliance with USP 795, 797, and 800 respectively. (25) Participates in Performance Improvement (PI) Measurements/activities (Mock Surveys – Tracers). (26) Participates in Trail Audits for controlled substances – reports discrepancies to appropriate managers and follows up on the resolution of discrepancies. (27) Other clinical duties as assigned. Work Schedule: An 8‑hour tour with evenings and nights on a fair and equitable basis for service needs. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. #J-18808-Ljbffr