Clinical Pharmacist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs invites applications for a Clinical Pharmacist. The position primarily handles routine medication related activities and may back up other pharmacy areas as needed, with scope up to 25%.

This role requires US citizenship, ACPE-accredited education (PharmD or BS Pharmacy), and full, current license to practice in a U.S. state or DC. Foreign graduates must demonstrate FPGEC certification and TOEFL iBT.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship as required by VA policy.
• Education: ACPE-accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a Pharm.D. or BS Pharmacy.
• Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice in a U.S. state/DC; temporary entry-level licenses may be allowed under certain conditions.
• Foreign Education: Proof of FPGEC certification (FPGEE & TOEFL iBT) for foreign graduates.
• English Language Proficiency: Proficient in spoken and written English.

Responsibilities

• Handle routine medication-related activities.
• Serve as backup for pharmacy areas up to 25% of the time.

Skills

Pharmacy practice

Communication skills

Regulatory knowledge

Pharmacotherapy monitoring

Education

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BS Pharmacy)

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. Exception: Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed.
• 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

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, GS-11, or
• 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.

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

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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.

Grandfathering Provision

• All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:(1) 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.(2) 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.(3) 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.