Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

Job Title

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati, OH and Fort Thomas, KY serving 15 counties in Southwest OH, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue, KY; Florence, KY; Lawrenceburg, IN; Hamilton, OH; Clermont County, OH, and Georgetown, OH. The CVAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division.

Duties

• Conducts comprehensive appraisals of patients' health status by taking health and medication histories, documenting relevant findings in the patient's medical record.
• Evaluates drug therapy through direct patient care involvement, with clinical assessment and objective findings relating to patient's responses to drug therapy and communicating and documenting those findings and recommendations to appropriate individuals and in appropriate records (i.e., patient's medical record).
• Evaluates medication orders and medication profiles for appropriateness of therapy, dosage range, synergistic, antagonistic, and cumulative effects, etc., and communicates questionable situations to the provider when necessary.
• Develops and document therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic, and most economical medication treatments.
• Orders, perform, review, and/or analyze appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy.
• Initiates, modifies, or discontinues medications based under a scope of practice.
• Assists in the management of medical emergencies, adverse drug reactions, and acute and chronic disease states; BLS/ACLS certified.
• Identifies and take specific corrective action for drug-induced problems according to protocol.
• Orders consults (i.e. dietician, social work) as appropriate to maximize positive drug therapy outcomes.
• Serves as a liaison between Pharmacy Service and the Acute Care areas.
• Assists in discharge planning and ensures continuity of care for patients leaving the hospital.

Dispensing

• Evaluates and processes physicians' orders for patients in assigned area, clarifying unclear orders with the provider when necessary.
• Reviews medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration, and amount prior to dispensing.
• Reviews patients' allergy history, drug-drug-drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory, and drug disease state interactions and assesses for clinical relevance.
• Provides lead and pharmacist staffing assistance in the Inpatient Pharmacy as scheduled by supervisor, including clinical weekend coverage.

Education/Research

• Serves as a role model and preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members. Conducts on-the job training and provides guidance through designated programs.
• Provides clinical pharmacy educational programs to pharmacy and non-pharmacy staff.
• Assesses and provides for educational needs of the patient and family to help ensure that pharmaceutical outcome goals are met.
• Develops, conducts, and presents the results of medication usage evaluations and outcome measures
• Designs and/or participates in research activities involving drug therapy or outcome measures.
• Completes all mandatory training courses prior to due dates.

Administration

• Attends, participates, and contributes as an active member on various Health Systems or VISN committees: Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, works groups (such as Root Cause Analysis), task forces, Institutional Review Board, etc.
• Participates in various Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) initiatives, including medication usage evaluation (MUE).
• Documents and reports clinical pharmacy interventions, positive patient outcomes, and cost-effective initiatives.
• Ensures optimum utilization of all available resources (personnel, fiscal, equipment, space, etc.)
• Serves as the Acting Associate Chief and provides coverage for other areas in the Inpatient Pharmacy as needed.
• Participates in the focused and ongoing professional practice (FPPE & OPPE) evaluation process.

Work Schedule

Monday - Friday, 07:00 am - 3:30 pm

Telework

AD HOC, per agency policy discretion

Virtual

This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #

91353-0

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS):

Not Authorized