Career Center

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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: (312) 664-3575, or through their Web site at: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.) NOTE: 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. English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). GRADE DETERMINATION: GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. 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. 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: Candidates for the Women's Health Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) should possess the skills outlined above with specific experience in the area of women's health, including contraception, pre-conception, pregnancy, postpartum, lactation, menopause, and primary care chronic disease management. Candidates should have recent experience in a current or previous job (including residency training) that includes direct patient care and comprehensive medication management responsibilities. Preferred candidates will have an advanced pharmacy degree (Pharm.D), board certification (BPS), PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency, or equivalent experience or mentorship. REFERENCES: VA Handbook 5005/55 Part II Appendix G15 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: This work requires moderate lifting (15-44lbs), moderate carrying (15-44lbs), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, standing (8 hours), ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, and near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4. Environmental factors include dry atmospheric conditions, constant noise, working closely with others, and working alone. ["RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE MAY BE AUTHORIZED. Duties include, but are not limited to: Customer Service Treat patient, team members, other facility employees and visitors with respect. Respond to the needs of the Veteran and staff in a courteous and timely manner. Demonstrate appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service. Demonstrate an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality. Clinical - Direct Patient Care Face-to-face and telephone encounters with referred patients, for comprehensive medication management in practice areas identified in their individual scope of practice. Function as a mid-level provider to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers. Order, perform, review, and analyze appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Follow-up with patients on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy, i.e. changes in medication therapy, monitoring, and additional testing requirements. Clinical - Indirect Patient Care Identify patients who may benefit from comprehensive medication management through population management reports and during team huddles Review patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes. Monitor and report drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Apply knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognize significant abnormalities, and make dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. Education and Research Participate in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and other staff on assigned teams. Skilled at using both written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others. Serve as preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents in accordance with established policies. Drug Information Serve as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance, to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians and students. Use appropriate references to research drug information. Maintain a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management. Provide timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Effectively instruct patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Adjust communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations. Accurately assess and document patient comprehension. Refer patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams. Program Management Serve on medical center and/or VISN committees. Adhere to all medical center and department policies and regulations. Manage information security within areas of responsibility to assure that computer system security and confidentiality of sensitive information is maintained, and that employee access to sensitive information is limited only to that which the employee requires to perform their duties. Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday Compressed/Flexible: Available Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May Be Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Available, Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

Return to Search Results