What are the responsibilities and job description for the Clinical Pharmacist position at Veterans Health Administration?
The clinical pharmacist is a licensed professional with knowledge and proficiency in pharmacy practice including pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics. The incumbent is responsible for analyzing real and potential drug-related medical problems and implementing corrective action to ensure that patients receive optimal drug therapy.
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.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
Clinical pharmacy services include participating in interdisciplinary general medicine team meetings and rounds, co-location with the multidisciplinary team when possible, and providing patient education prior to discharge from the facility. Pharmacist may also rotate through various shifts (days/evenings/weekends/holidays) in unit dose operations, IV admixture, and our decentralized discharge service. Duties will include but are not limited to: supervising inpatient technicians, processing orders for chemotherapy, other IV additives and unit dose products, completing non-formulary drug reviews, evaluating providers' orders as to appropriateness based on patient's medication profiles, performing medication reconciliation, and patient education.
A. Clinical
B. Dispensing
Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing.
Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record.
Fills all orders in a timely fashion; review of the patient's allergy history, drug-drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately.
Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved.
Selects, compounds, dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations in both outpatient and inpatient areas. Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable.
Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises prepacking and the operation of automated dispensing equipment.
Supervises the activities of support personnel.
Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations.
Work Schedule: Rotating 8-hour shifts but primarily day shifts on weekdays
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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:
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.)
- 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).
- 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.
- 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 (GS-11), or
- Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.
- Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). Pharmacists assigned to this position 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.
- Motivated applicants who have completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency or 3-years of experience in team-based care.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
Responsibilities:
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEwsClinical pharmacy services include participating in interdisciplinary general medicine team meetings and rounds, co-location with the multidisciplinary team when possible, and providing patient education prior to discharge from the facility. Pharmacist may also rotate through various shifts (days/evenings/weekends/holidays) in unit dose operations, IV admixture, and our decentralized discharge service. Duties will include but are not limited to: supervising inpatient technicians, processing orders for chemotherapy, other IV additives and unit dose products, completing non-formulary drug reviews, evaluating providers' orders as to appropriateness based on patient's medication profiles, performing medication reconciliation, and patient education.
A. Clinical
Provides appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects and clinical outcome; and advises prescribers as appropriate.
Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing.
Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy.
Provides medication counseling to patients.
Completes medication histories including patient interviews.
Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients, and caregivers.
Participates in patient care rounds or interdisciplinary team meetings, review charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug- nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies.
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.\
Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program.
Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned.
Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing.
Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy.
Provides medication counseling to patients.
Completes medication histories including patient interviews.
Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients, and caregivers.
Participates in patient care rounds or interdisciplinary team meetings, review charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug- nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies.
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.\
Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program.
Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned.
B. Dispensing
Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing.
Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record.
Fills all orders in a timely fashion; review of the patient's allergy history, drug-drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately.
Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved.
Selects, compounds, dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations in both outpatient and inpatient areas. Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable.
Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises prepacking and the operation of automated dispensing equipment.
Supervises the activities of support personnel.
Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations.
Work Schedule: Rotating 8-hour shifts but primarily day shifts on weekdays
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Salary : $145,160
