Clinical Pharmacist

Summary

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

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Preventative Medicine and Primary Care) serves as a physician extender with a comprehensive Scope of Practice which includes prescriptive authority, monitoring drug therapy, ordering of laboratory tests, and other specified clinical functions. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Conducts comprehensive appraisals of patients' health status by taking health histories, drug histories and performing physical examinations. Document 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).
• With approved Scope of Practice and under the appropriate supervision of the attending physician, assumes limited authority to direct drug therapy and order, perform, review and/or analyze appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy, and place consults as a member of the treatment team.
• Prescribe medications, devices and supplies to include initiation, continuation, discontinuation, monitoring and altering therapy, based upon established formulary or protocols.
• Utilizes computer expertise in interpretation of national dashboard analytics or development of local data extraction tools to help guide evidenced based prescribing for chosen disease states.
• Performs limited external physical assessment and performs medication reconciliation in alignment with established policies or procedures.
• Serves as an authoritative information source on drugs and their utilization in therapy.
• Evaluates the drug literature by analysis of experimental design and methodology, to compare and contrast therapeutic regimens and roles for new drugs.
• Assists in the use of data tools to promote the design and documentation of therapeutic regimens or plans, based on patient-specific information, which includes establishing a therapeutic endpoint and stop criteria, electing an appropriate drug and related therapy, and establishing an appropriate dosage regimen.
• Promotes education to monitor, assess and documents therapeutic and adverse effects of drug therapy (including drug interactions) through selection and evaluation of physical and laboratory parameters.
• Provides consultation on selection of appropriate therapeutic regimens as a follow-up of non-therapeutic drug concentrations obtained from ambulatory and inpatients.
• Provides highly specialized education and training support to other professional services in the broad area of advanced pharmacotherapy.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Telework-ADHOC: This position may be authorized for ADHOC telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 31371F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact ???????Betsy Quinn, View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 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

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

• English Language Proficiency - Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• 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 -
  • 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, 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Grandfathering Provision - All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• Employees grandfathered into the GS-660 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
• If a licensed pharmacist who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

GRADE-LEVEL DETERMINANTS : GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria MUST be met when determining the grade of candidates

• 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 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:

(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: Board Certification (Pharmacotherapy or Ambulatory Care), PGY1 Pharmacy Residency required, PGY2 Ambulatory Residency experience preferred.

Physical Requirements: The work may require sitting for long periods of time (4-8 hours) with occasional stooping or kneeling, walking, and standing for long periods of time. The principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers (i.e., typing, writing). The incumbent must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job (i.e. computer, telephone).

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.