Clinical Pharmacist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

The GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Inpatient) at the US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair is a high-responsibility, clinically integrated pharmacist role within the VA. You will serve as a medication expert and a core member of interdisciplinary care teams, balancing dispensing, clinical decision-making, patient counseling, education, and operational oversight.

Responsibilities include reviewing and verifying orders, advising providers, documenting interventions, reflexing refill extensions, and

Qualifications

• ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. or BS Pharmacy degree.
• Full, current license to practice in a US state or DC.
• English language proficiency as required by VA standards.

Responsibilities

• Review, interpret, and verify medication orders for appropriateness.
• Process and fill medication orders; interact with care teams to optimize therapy.
• Provide drug information and recommendations to clinicians to ensure safe, effective care.
• Perform medication reconciliation and assess patient medications, allergies, and labs.
• Oversee technical staff involved in medication distribution and documentation of interventions.

Skills

Pharmacy practice knowledge

Effective communication

Regulatory compliance

Drug therapy monitoring

Education

ACPE-accredited Pharm.D./BS Pharmacy

FPGEC certification for foreign grads

Job description

This GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Inpatient) role is a high-responsibility, clinically integrated pharmacist position within the VA. Applicants should expect to operate as both medication experts and core members of interdisciplinary care teams. The role blends dispensing, clinical decision-making, patient counseling, education, and operational oversight.

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

(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: [phone], 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).

Note: TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE.

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 as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

Note: YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF CURRENT LICENSE WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE.

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-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)

Experience or Education

In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:

• 1. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or
• 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.

Assignment

A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. These include, but are not limited to: reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness; processing and filling medication orders; interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care; reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems; contacting providers as appropriate; documenting recommendations and interventions; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; taking health and medication histories; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); assisting in medical emergencies; providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution.

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.

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.

Physical Requirements:

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.