Pharmacist (Associate Service Chief)

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 EDRP application within 4 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.

The Associate Service Chief, Clinical Pharmacy, at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System serves as a key assistant to the Chief of Pharmacy Service, functioning with a high degree of independence and delegated authority in the management and supervision of clinical pharmacy services within either the Ambulatory Care or Acute/Long-Term Care domains.

Duties:

• Provides strategic leadership in the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of comprehensive clinical pharmacy services in accordance with VHA Handbook 1108.11 and VA PBM Clinical Pharmacy Practice Office guidance.
• Directs PACT and specialty clinic CPS programs (e.g., primary care, cardiology, pulmonary, pain, women's health, telehealth) to ensure Veterans have timely access to high-quality comprehensive medication management (CMM) services.
• Ensures clinical pharmacy services are fully integrated into interprofessional care teams and consistently aligned with facility and VISN strategic goals for quality, safety, access, and Veteran experience.
• Shares responsibility with the Chief, Pharmacy Service, and applicable clinical service chiefs for development, approval, and ongoing oversight of CPP scopes of practice in accordance with VHA Handbook 1108.11 and medical staff bylaws.
• Oversees processes for initial and ongoing professional practice evaluation, competency assessment, and proficiency reviews for clinical pharmacists with scopes of practice.
• Ensures scopes of practice are evidence-based, appropriately focused, and updated to reflect changes in practice standards, credentialing, and privileging.
• Ensures clinical pharmacy services are integrated into interprofessional teams and aligned with facility and VISN strategic goals for quality, safety, access, and Veteran experience.
• Provides comprehensive medication management, including initiation, modification, and discontinuation of medications; ordering and interpreting labs and other diagnostics; and performing necessary objective assessments to evaluate and monitor therapy.
• Plans, coordinates, and evaluates training programs for pharmacy residents, APPE/IPPE students, and other learners assigned to clinical pharmacy areas.
• Provides or oversees in service education, competency training, and continuing education for clinical pharmacists, other pharmacy staff, and interprofessional team members on pharmacotherapy, CMM, and medication safety.
• Serves as mentor and coach for CPS staff, fostering professional growth, board certification, advanced practice development, and leadership skills.
• Develops, implements, and monitors quality-assurance and performance-improvement activities specific to clinical pharmacy services.
• Supervises and directs clinical supervisors, CPPs, and clinical pharmacists, including hiring, onboarding, orientation, assignment, performance management, and professional development.
• Develops and maintains current functional statements and performance standards for all supervised staff; ensures performance appraisals and proficiencies are completed on time and reflect objective, outcomes-based measures.
• Analyzes and manages clinical workload and ensures staffing and scheduling practices support access, safety, and continuity of care.
• Promotes a culture of psychological safety, inclusion, and team-based problem solving; addresses performance or conduct concerns promptly and fairly in collaboration with HR and labor partners.
• Supports initiatives to improve Veteran access to clinical pharmacy services, including telephone management, secure messaging, telehealth CMM clinics, and transitions-of-care follow-up.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm (subject to change based on the needs of the facility)
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 520-00444F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact April.hightower@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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: 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.) (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.
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English.

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-14 Clinical Pharmacist (Associate Service Chief) In addition to the GS-13 requirements, must have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level which includes experience as either a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Facility Program Manager, Pharmacy Supervisor, or Associate Service Chief/Associate Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) Director.

Pharmacists assigned to the GS-14 grade level position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Skill in persuading others and gaining cooperation to accomplish goals.
2. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing regarding complex clinical and technical issues.
3. Skill in utilizing regulatory and quality standards to develop and implement operational programs.
4. Skill in managing multiple and diverse people or programs.
5. Skill in utilizing available resources to support the mission and goals of the organization.
6. Ability to plan, organize and direct the functions of the pharmacy staff.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience providing executive-level leadership and supervision of clinical pharmacy services in a complex health care system.
• Experience managing clinical pharmacists with scopes of practice, professional practice evaluations, competency assessment, and performance management.
• Experience collaborating with interdisciplinary leaders on program development, staffing, education, residency training, and clinical service expansion.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 14.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Able to independently operate a motor vehicle.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.