Clinical Pharmacist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Fort Meade (SD); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Clinical Pharmacist position at the US Department of Veterans Affairs focuses on routine medication activities and may serve as a backup for areas needing up to 25% scope of practice. The role requires a Pharm.D. or ACPE-accredited BS Pharmacy and a current license to practice in the United States.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens (per VA policy), proficient in English, and meet KSAs related to pharmacy practice, communication, regulatory knowledge, and drug therapy monitoring.

Qualifications

• US Citizenship required or as per VA policy for non-citizens
• Education: ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree (BS Pharmacy or Pharm.D.)
• Licensure: full, current, unrestricted pharmacist license in US territory
• Foreign Education: FPGEC Certification proof for certain foreign graduates
• English Language Proficiency: must be proficient in spoken and written English

Responsibilities

• Handle routine medication-related activities.
• Backup for pharmacy areas requiring up to 25% scope of practice.

Skills

Professional pharmacy practice

Oral and written communication

Pharmacy law and regulation knowledge

Drug therapy monitoring

Education

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

ACPE-accredited degree (BS Pharmacy or Pharm.D.)

Job description

Clinical Pharmacist

The Clinical Pharmacist position primarily serves to handle routine medication related activities and may also serve as a backup for pharmacy areas requiring a scope of practice less than or equal to 25% of the time.

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. NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.
• 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.
• Foreign Education: 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).
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

Grade Determinations

GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist

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.

Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs)

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.

Physical Requirements

You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.