Clinical Pharmacist, Outpatient Pharmacy

Summary

The clinical pharmacist assigned to the outpatient pharmacy must be a licensed pharmacist, preferably with a Pharm.D. degree and an American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists accredited residency. The incumbent is responsible for providing pharmaceutical care to ambulatory care patients enrolled in the PVAHCS clinics and may work weekends and holidays as priorities demonstrate a need. The incumbent will strive to consistently optimize patient care outcomes.

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Duties

Major Duties include but are not limited to:

• Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria. Approves or denies non-formulary requests per policy and evidence-based criteria. Provides information on therapeutic substitutions when non-formulary consults are denied. When approved, performs therapeutic substitution as indicated.
• Actively involved in reviewing patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed.
• Is able to apply knowledge of normal laboratory values and physical assessment information in the evaluation of pharmaceutical care. Recognizes significant deviations from normal parameters and is able to identify and solve medication related problems based on objective findings.
• Serves as an authority on medication utilization, drug-drug and drug-food interactions, acceptable medication dosages, and compliance strategies. Educates medical staff, nursing staff, pharmacy technicians and students on medication management. Uses appropriate references to research drug information.
• Assures safe and effective medication utilization by identifying and resolving medication related concerns. This review includes a broad understanding of pharmacy practice, which includes but is not limited to: pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacoeconomics, and pharmacokinetic knowledge derived from evidence-based resources. Communicates findings and recommendations with the medical care team.
• Has a good working knowledge of information resources, both written and electronic.
• Documents recommendations and interventions in CPRS in a timely and professional manner.
• Reviews patient medications, allergies, laboratory results, medical histories and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication related problems.
• Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Provides therapeutic alternatives when appropriate.
• Monitors for and reports on drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient adherence issues. Documents findings in the medical record according to PVAHCS procedures.
• Promotes and monitors compliance for established drug therapy policies.
• Works with providers to ensure compliance with national, VISN, and local initiatives.
• Serves on medical center and/or VISN committees as required.
• Performs medication reconciliation.
• Integrates taking health and medication histories into his/her practice.
• Provides refill extensions when appropriate and per policy.
• Documents adverse drug events.
• Performs medication use evaluations (MUEs) as required.
• Support of Outpatient Pharmacy services demands onsite support by incumbent to ensure coverage needs of all areas of operations involving areas such as counseling of patients in booth, processing of prescription orders, filling of orders, checking of prescription orders prepared by technicians, narcotic prescription filling, checking of orders in the vault filled by vault technicians, checking and ensuring ordering of inventory, and being available to cover areas other than those assigned to meet operational needs throughout the business day.
• Operations support involves onsite rotational coverage assigned during weekends, holidays, and emergency staffing challenges that may occur throughout the year.
• Support of operational needs (e.g. prescription filling processes/services) during technician staffing challenges.
• Handling of walk-in patient complaints, issues, and prescription needs as applicable.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Work Schedule: Full Time Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. with rotating weekends/holidays

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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Requirements

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 dentification 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).
  
  

Qualifications

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:

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  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:
  
  

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.) School transcripts must be submitted with your application. OR,

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). A copy of the FPGEC certificate must be submitted.

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  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. An active copy of unrestricted license to practice pharmacy must be submitted.
  
  

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). All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of June 7, 2012 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.

Grade Determinations:

GS-12 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

Applicants must possess one year of experience to the next lower grade at the GS-11 and hold a valid unrestricted state license. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
• Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
  
  

Preferred Experience: 3 years experience in outpatient pharmacy setting.



Reference: Refer to VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-15, Pharmacist Qualification Standard, GS-0660.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 12.



Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time, typing, walking distances within the medical center, lifting/carrying (45 pounds and greater) of pharmaceutical supplies, and pushing/bending/stooping/stretching.

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: 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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

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