Clinical Pharmacist
What you'd do
The Clinical Pharmacist works independently under the direction of a supervisory pharmacist. The Clinical Pharmacist's primary responsibility is the utilization of evidence-based pharmaceutical care services through direct interactions with patients and providers as well as the safe provision of pharmaceuticals and medication information in a timely manner.
Major duties
Clinical: a. Provides timely responses to drug information requests from patient care providers and nurses. b. Evaluates other care provider's orders for appropriateness of therapy, incompatibilities, side effects and interactions of drugs and drug products. c. Appropriately interacts with the ordering provider or attending as needed. d. Utilizes patient care information systems such as EHMR to obtain critical patient data elements and to document pertinent patient care issues e. Provides medication use counseling at time of patient encounter. f. Counsels patients on drug-drug interactions, adverse effects, food-drug interactions, product availability, and PNT Committee and pharmacy policies as appropriate. g. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths or products per facility policy. h. Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy. i. Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the hold function, and generating unsigned discontinued orders ng the service reject function. Dispensing: a. Responsible for verification and evaluation of licensed independent practitioners' medication orders/prescriptions and input of written orders, when applicable. b. Selects, compounds, dispenses, and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmics, narcotics, investigational drugs, oncolytic agents, etc in inpatient and/or outpatient areas and follows appropriate quality assurance procedures as applicable c. Checks prescription orders for safety, accuracy, and appropriateness prior to dispensing. d. Verifies and fills all orders in a timely fashion. e. Inputs medication allergy data when information provided by patient/care giver/provider. f. Enters non-VA medication data when information provided by patient and/or caregiver. g. Ensures that drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations. Education and Training: a. Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technician, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, and other medical center personnel as required. b. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. c. Is skilled at using both written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others. d. May serve as a preceptor for pharmacy students and/or pharmacy residents. e. Has a good working knowledge of information resources such as Micromedex, Clinical Pharmacology, AHFS Drug Information, Facts & Comparisons, or other relevant pharmaceutical references, both written and electronic f. Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management. g. Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Administration: a. Ensures that work of the team is carried out on tours when no supervisory pharmacist is present. b. Acts as point-of-contact with Patient Care Services for resolution of time-sensitive nursing/pharmacy issues. c. Contacts additional staff, pharmacist or technician, to report for duty in the event of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) activation, and emergency or other situations where additional staff is necessary to perform the work at hand. Research: a. Participation in research activities must be in accordance with FDA guidelines and regulations and VHA policy. b. Coordinates the receipt and distribution of all drugs in an investigational and/or clinical evaluation status and maintains appropriate records regarding their use as applicable. Work Schedule: Variable - late mid shift / 2nd shift Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91627-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
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: (312) 664-3575, 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 Internet- Based 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. 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 listed above, the following criteria must be met. 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, or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities - Candidates must demonstrate the KSA's listed below: 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. 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. 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: Moderate lifting (up to 44 pounds); straight pulling and pushing; reaching above shoulder; walking , kneeling and standing up to 8 hours; repeated bending; simple grasping up to 4 hours; sitting up to 8 hours; and fine manipulation up to 8 hours.
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