Pharmacist(Clinical Specialist)-Mental Health

The clinical pharmacist specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice and works independently under their individual scope of practice to directly care for patients. A CPS functions as a mid-level practitioner for assigned behavioral health interdisciplinary program (BHIP) integration setting who may initiate, modify, or discontinue medication. This includes designing, implementing, assessing, therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective medication treatments.

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). FPGEC Certification documentation must be turned in at the time you submit your resume for consideration.
• 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.

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment stated above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

• Creditable Experience. Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board.
• Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination.
• Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.

Clinical Pharmacist Specialist, GS-13 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS12.

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: PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency or equivalent experience Preferred. Current DEA license or willingness to obtain DEA license within the first year of employment.

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-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13 to .

Physical Requirements: There may be some walking, standing, sitting, bending, and carrying of light items.

Responsibilities:

Major duties include but are not limited to:

1. Functions as a mid-level provider to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned mental health care setting.
2. In cooperation with the mental health team providers, initiates alternative drug therapies designed to reduce cost of medications while still ensuring optimal therapeutic response.
3. May initiate, modify, or discontinue mental health medications with appropriate follow-up monitoring under authority given through approved scope of practice.
4. Interviews and/or evaluates mental health patients in the outpatient clinic setting for appropriateness of pharmacological therapy and makes a pharmaceutical care plan for those patients who need pharmaceutical care and will document the pharmaceutical care plan in the pharmacy initial assessment or progress note. Completes and documents medication history when requested by mental health team.
5. Will help determine if a referral to other medical service is necessary when co-morbidities interfere with mental health treatment.
6. Reviews 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.
7. Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider as appropriate.
8. Supports effective drug usage criteria approved by the national VHA PBM (pharmacy benefits manager), VISN PBM and local PBM which help insure quality patient care in a cost-effective manner. Ensures appropriate utilization of the VHA formulary by health care providers.
9. Completes (approves/disapproves) Non-Formulary/Restricted Drug Consults for mental health and behavioral science patients and other patient care areas when assigned.
10. Actively participates in ensuring that resources dedicated to clinical pharmacy activities are used effectively and required workload data is gathered and collected in an accurate and timely manner.

Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Telework, If approved, would be Ad-hoc only. This is not a virtual or remote position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:61204426F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Salary : $131,743