Clinical Pharmacist - Outpatient

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VACIHCS Des Moines, seeks an Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist to provide clinical pharmacy services in the outpatient section, reporting to the Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor.

The role emphasizes medication counseling, drug information, and ensuring safe and effective medication use; requires Pharm.D., licensure, and U.S. citizenship. Full-time position with no telework.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship required; non-citizens only if VA policy permits.
• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) or ACPE-accredited BS Pharmacy (historical note)
• Current and unrestricted pharmacy license in US territory/ DC
• English language proficiency for speaking and writing
• Pharmacists must meet KSAs: clinical pharmacology, communication, drug laws
• GS-12 level requires: 1 year of higher-grade experience or Pharm.D.
• Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice and regulations
• Ability to communicate with patients and health care staff
• Experience with medication monitoring and outcomes assessment

Responsibilities

• Clinical pharmacist duties: safe and appropriate use of medications.
• Participates in medication preparation and dispensing.
• Monitors drug therapy for efficacy, side effects, and outcomes; advises prescribers.
• Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates findings to care team.
• Reviews drug interactions, allergies, labs, and outcomes.
• Gives medication counseling to patients.
• Completes medication histories and patient interviews.
• Acts as a drug information resource for staff, patients, and caregivers.
• Participates in medication reconciliation and formulary considerations.

Skills

Communication skills

Pharmacology knowledge

Clinical decision making

Medication counseling

English proficiency

Education

Pharm.D. degree

Tools

Electronic Health Record (EHR)

Job description

Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist The incumbent functions as a Clinical Outpatient Pharmacist primarily in the Outpatient Section of the Pharmacy Service at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System (VACIHCS). The position reports to the Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor - Pharmacy Service.

Qualifications

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
• 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
• 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level - or 2
• Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program
• AND Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): 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: 1 year or more of clinical pharmacy experience - or equivalent - in an outpatient hospital pharmacy practice setting focusing on clinical pharmacy services - medication distribution services - medication counseling - telephone triage - documentation in an electronic health record - and medication information support to healthcare staff/patients/care givers
• 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.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Duties include - but are not limited to: Clinical: 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 through the following list of example activities: 1
• Participates in all tasks related to medication preparation and dispensing
• 2
• Provides appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics monitoring for efficacy - side effects and clinical outcome and advises prescribers as appropriate
• 3
• Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing
• Monitoring will include prospective and retrospective review and intervention in: i
• Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen ii
• Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen iii
• Appropriateness of the route and method of administration iv
• Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen v
• Drug-drug - drug-food - drug-laboratory - or drug-disease interactions vi
• Allergies vii
• Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects - toxicity - or adverse effects viii
• Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy 4
• Provides medication counseling to patients
• 5
• Conducts comprehensive appraisals of patient's health status by completing medication histories including patient interviews
• 6
• Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers - other health care professionals - patients and caregivers
• 7
• Participates in the medication reconciliation process - in accordance with facility processes: i
• Pharmacists under a scope of practice (CPP): when acting as a provider - the CPP will complete a medication reconciliation including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate - active list of VA and non-VA medications
• This may include adding non-VA medications or discontinuing duplicate medications or those the patient is not taking
• ii
• Pharmacists not under a scope of practice: when NOT acting as a provider - pharmacists will participate in the medication reconciliation process
• This may include a medication history - identifying discrepancies - coordinating with the care team to review discrepancies - processing medication orders - and providing patient medication education
• 8
• Assesses drug safety and efficacy - including evaluation of physical symptoms
• 9
• Reports adverse drug events (ADE) - near misses - and medication errors
• Documents findings according to service/facility procedures
• 10
• Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program
• 11
• May complete non-formulary and medication approval consults
• Recommends formulary alternatives when appropriate
• Reviews orders for compliance with VA Criteria for Use and non-formulary drug restrictions
• 12
• Implements VA medical facility policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions (e.g. - Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee activities)
• 13
• Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule
• 14
• Enters supply orders to support medication compliance and accurate medication administration (e.g. - syringes - needles - tablet splitters) - in accordance with VA medical facility policy
• 15
• Manages various actions - as appropriate - for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions - managing view alerts - using the \"hold medication\" function - etc
• 16
• Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy
• 17
• Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents
• 18
• Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in-services to nursing - medical staff or to other ancillary services
• 19
• The pharmacist is responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature - new drugs and therapies - and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties
• Work Schedule: Full-time
• Monday-Friday - rotating tours - weekends and holidays Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized