Clinical Pharmacist

The incumbent serves as a Clinical Pharmacist (CP) in a VISN 5 VA Health Connect as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team. The Clinical Pharmacist is responsible for providing optimal clinical and pharmaceutical care activities in the VISN VA Health Connect in accordance with the department's mission, vision, and goals. This is located in the VA Health Connect, Clinical Contact Center as part of HSA 1.3

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Duties:

• Professionally receives and handles escalated telephone calls from and responds to veterans, their family members and/or legal representatives regarding a broad range of topics, including: appropriate use of medications and medical devices, basic billing inquiries, clinical questions, medication refills/renewals, drug-drug interactions, adverse effects, food-drug interactions, product availability, non-VA prescription processes and pharmacy policies as appropriate.
• Monitors provider's orders for appropriateness of therapy and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, incompatibilities, side effects and patient compliance issues and appropriately interacts with the ordering provider or attending as needed.
• Actively reviews patient medication regimens for cost effective drug selection, dosing, contraindications, therapeutic duplication, appropriate route and method of administration, drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Provides findings and responses to drug information requests to prescribers in a timely manner and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed.
• Utilizes patient care information systems such as VistA and CPRS to obtain critical patient data elements and to document clinical interventions and other pertinent patient care issues in a timely and professional manner.
• Complete electronic prescription order requests using sound clinical knowledge and practices.
• Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths or products per facility/VISN approved protocol.
• Supports VISN Pharmacy initiatives by implementing approved protocols such as dose optimization, therapeutic interchange, tablet-splitting, etc.
• Assists in the resolution of AudioRenewal rejections.
• Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per VISN VA Health Connect policy. J. Facilitates the provision of medications through non-VA sources, where appropriate (e.g. Meds by Mail, Care in the Community, etc.).
• Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold" function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders using the "service reject" function.
• Reviews prescription renewal verification requests and takes appropriate action to extend refills until the next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per VISN VA Health Connect policy.
• Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider as appropriate. N. 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.
• Applies knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care and recognizes significant abnormalities.
• Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable.
• Supports the goal of processing all medication requests in a timely manner by consistently meeting established VISN VA Health Connect standards and exhibiting proficiency in all assigned categories. R. Processes secure messages appropriately and in a timely manner as assigned.
• Maintains professional competency, licensure, therapeutics and disease management and continuing education requirements by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties.
• Has a good working knowledge of information resources such as Micromedex, Clinical Pharmacology, Up To Date, Facts & Comparisons, or other relevant pharmaceutical references, both written and electronic.
• Participates in continuous daily improvement and quality improvement initiatives.
• Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, and other medical center personnel, as required. W. Acts as a point-of-contact for outside services in assisting with patient care issues.

Work Schedule: Rotating Shifts, Currently hours of operation are 7am to 7pm Mon - Saturday, subject to change
(Rotating shifts currently are 7am-3:30pm, 8a-4:30pm, 9am-5:30pm and 10:30am-7pm EST
Telework: Yes - as determined by the agency policy
Virtual: This is a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 22017F and 26002F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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.
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
• 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: (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.
  • (1) Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed.
  • (2) 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.

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).

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:
(1) 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.
(2) 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.
(3) 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 Determinations:
GS-11 Pharmacist
Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement in subparagraph 2c(1) above.)

GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) (a)
Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:
1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level,

OR

Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program

AND

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: VA outpatient pharmacy experience, Demonstrated experience in improving customer service/experience, and experience in call center and telephone contact resolution.

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

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.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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.
• 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 evaluation.
• 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.