Clinical Pharmacist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Gainesville (FL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs in Gainesville, FL seeks a licensed Clinical Pharmacist to join our team. The pharmacist identifies and resolves drug-related problems, ensures safe medication use, evaluates therapy based on patient factors, and provides medication guidance and support to patients and staff.

Applicants must meet ACPE education/licensure requirements and English proficiency; Grandfathering provisions may apply for current VA staff.

Qualifications

• Licensed pharmacist with current registration in the United States
• ACPE-accredited degree (Pharm.D. preferred)
• English language proficiency for speaking and writing
• Grandfathering provisions may apply for certain current employees

Responsibilities

• Review, interpret, and verify medication orders for appropriateness.
• Process and fill medication orders accurately and safely.
• Provide drug information and recommendations to healthcare staff.
• Perform medication reconciliation and monitor patient labs and histories.
• Assist in formulary management and therapy substitutions.
• Oversee distribution and safety of medications and provide counseling as needed.

Skills

Professional pharmacy practice

Oral and written communication

Pharmacy laws and regulations

Drug therapy monitoring

Education

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

B.S. Pharmacy with ACPE eligibility

Job description

The Clinical Pharmacist is a licensed professional skilled in pharmacy practice, including pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and therapeutics. The pharmacist identifies and resolves drug-related problems to ensure optimal therapy, manages the safe use and distribution of medications, and evaluates treatment based on patient-specific factors while providing medication guidance and support. 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: (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).
• c. 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.
• f. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

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

In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-11 Pharmacist

• (a) Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
• (b) Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity.

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.

(b) 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.

Preferred Experience: PGY-1/PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency Training. Inpatient/Outpatient, sterile compounding and effective interpersonal communication skills

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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.