Clinical Pharmacist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Topeka (KS); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Topeka, KS is seeking a Pharmacist to oversee medication protocols, monitor therapies, and address adverse drug reactions. The role includes reconciliation and counseling for inpatients and outpatients in acute, subacute, and extended care units.

Applicants must have ACPE-accredited PharmD or BS Pharmacy, full licensure, and US citizenship. Foreign grads may pursue FPGEE and TOEFL iBT.

Qualifications

• Graduate of ACPE-accredited College with BS Pharmacy or PharmD.
• Full, current, unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a US state or DC.
• US citizenship required; non-citizens per VA policy.

Responsibilities

• Manage medication protocols, therapeutic drug monitoring, and adverse drug reactions.
• Perform medication reconciliation and collect medication histories.
• Provide medication counseling for outpatients and inpatients across care units.

Skills

Pharmacy practices

Residency training

Fellowship training

Licensure knowledge

Education

ACPE-accredited PharmD or BS Pharmacy

FPGEC Certification

TOEFL iBT (for foreign grads)

Job description

In this role you would be responsible for managing multiple complex programs such as medication protocols, therapeutic drug monitoring, adverse drug reactions, medication reconciliation, medication histories and medication counseling for outpatients and inpatients in acute, subacute, and extended care units. 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: [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.)
  • 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 InternetBased 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. 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

• 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.
• 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.
• 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

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.
• 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.

GS-11 Pharmacist

Experience, Education, and Licensure - None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)

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
• Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program

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/.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.