Clinical Pharmacist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; East Orange (NJ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is recruiting a Clinical Pharmacist for the East Orange VA Medical Center. The incumbent analyzes drug-related problems, implements corrective actions, and promotes safe, effective pharmacotherapy for veterans.

Candidates must meet basic education/licensure requirements and demonstrate strong communication and collaboration with health care teams to ensure optimal patient care.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship as required by VA policy.
• Proficiency in English (spoken and written).
• Graduate of ACPE-accredited school with Pharm.D. or BS Pharmacy.
• Full, current, unrestricted pharmacy license in the U.S. or D.C.

Responsibilities

• Analyze real and potential drug problems and implement corrective action to optimize therapy.
• Ensure safe and appropriate use of medications and advocate rational drug therapy.
• Collaborate with clinical staff to review medications and reconcile therapy.

Skills

Pharmacy practice knowledge

Communication skills

Pharmacy laws & regulations

Drug therapy monitoring

Education

BS Pharmacy or Pharm.D.

FPGEC Certification (if applicable)

Job description

We are recruiting for one Clinical Pharmacist for the East Orange Veterans Administration Medical Center. 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. The primary function of a clinical pharmacist is to assure the safe and appropriate use of medications, and be an advocate of rational 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.
• 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.
  • 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.

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.

Residency and Fellowship Training

Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for- year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health- System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination).

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.

Preferred Experience

Acute Care/Internal Medicine and Outpatient settings.

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. 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 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
• 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.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (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.

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, which is the grade at which an applicant may be selected.

Physical Requirements

Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.