Pharmacist-Clinical Specialist PACT (Intermittent)

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.

01Basic Requirements

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

02Education

(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: (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.) (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).

03Licensure

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.

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).

04Grade Determinations

GS-13 (a) Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (b) Assignments. Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below.

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. 1. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist.

The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services.

This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. e.

Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

05Preferred Experience

PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency or PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency with at least one year of experience in Ambulatory Care clinical experience +/- BCPS/BCACP/BGCP. Multiple years of experience in Ambulatory Care clinical experience +BCPS/BCACP/BGCP. 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-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

06Physical Requirements

A. Due to the open, shared nature of PACT team workspaces, the incumbent must be able to work effectively amid multiple simultaneous conversations occurring nearby, including discussions of direct patient care by other team members that may be incidentally overheard. The incumbent is expected to maintain patient confidentiality regardless of open workspace configuration, consistent with the Privacy Act and HIPAA minimum necessary standards. B.

The incumbent must be able to concentrate, exercise independent clinical judgement, and accurately perform telehealth (phone and VVC) patient encounters in a moderate-noise environment characterized by ambient conversation, phones ringing, and general clinic activity. C.

Primary care work areas experience frequent foot traffic from patients, providers, nursing staff, and other healthcare personnel throughout the workday; the incumbent must be able to maintain focus and workflow efficiency despite a frequent interruption practice setting. D. The position requires prolonged periods of sitting, typing, and computer screen use, as well as extended telephone and headset use for phone clinics and virtual encounters. E.

The incumbent must have visual acuity sufficient to review laboratory results, medication lists, and clinical documentation accurately, and auditory acuity sufficient to conduct telephone/VVC clinical encounters and detect patient-reported symptoms or distress, as errors in perception could directly affect patient safety. F.

The incumbent must be able to move between clinic rooms, workstations, and other areas of the medical center or CBOC as needed to attend patients, consult with team members, or attend meetings; occasional walking, standing, and use of stairs/elevators may be required. G. The incumbent may occasionally lift and carry reference materials, a laptop/mobile workstation, or other light equipment, generally not exceeding 15-20 pounds. H.

The incumbent must be able to manage the cognitive demands of rapid task switching between direct patient care, documentation, and interruptions from team members, while maintaining accuracy in independent clinical decisionmaking.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Clinical - Direct Patient Care (Independent Practice Under SOP) Conducts face-to-face, telephone, & telehealth/VVC encounters with patients referred or empaneled for CMM. Functions as a mid-level provider & independently initiates, titrates, adjusts, & discontinues medication therapy for chronic disease states to achieve definite outcomes through direct patient care & collaboration with providers in assigned areas.

Independently orders, performs, reviews, & interprets laboratory tests & diagnostic studies necessary to monitor & support drug therapy, adjusting treatment plans based on results Performs & documents relevant physical assessments to inform drug therapy decisions within the bounds of the SOP & clinical privileges. Follows up directly with patients on lab/test results to communicate & adjust the therapeutic plan, including changes in medication, monitoring frequency, & additional testing.

Exercises independent clinical judgment to determine when referral to a physician or specialist is warranted due to disease progression, diagnostic uncertainty, or adverse drug events outside the CPP's scope. Manages transitions of care, including post-discharge medication reconciliation, identification & resolution of poly-pharmacy discrepancies, & coordination with non-VA & specialty care, as needed.

Clinical - Indirect Patient Care Activities Independently reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, appropriateness of drug selection, dosing, contraindications, adverse effect potential, & drug interactions; communicates findings & implements alternative treatment plans as clinically indicated. Obtains & documents comprehensive medication histories, summarizing significant findings in the electronic health record & to the responsible provider as appropriate.

Monitors, documents, & reports medication errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, & patient adherence concerns in accordance with facility procedures. Applies clinical knowledge of laboratory reference ranges to identify significant abnormalities & independently makes dose-adjustment decisions based on objective findings. Reviews & adjudicates requests for non-formulary & restricted medications against established clinical criteria, where applicable.

• Collaborates with providers & pharmacy leadership to ensure compliance with national, VISN, & local clinical initiatives.
• Reviews & verifies medication orders for appropriateness & safety, intervening to reduce risk of adverse drug events.
• Supports the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee with medication use evaluations, drug utilization reviews, & formulary safety initiatives.

Drug Information & Patient Education Serves as a clinical authority on medication usage, drug interactions, overdose management, & adherence for medical staff, nursing staff, technicians, & trainees, using evidence-based references. Maintains current, working knowledge of pharmacotherapy literature & clinical decision-support resources. Provides timely, accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customer groups.

Independently educates patients & caregivers on appropriate medication & device use, adapting communication to age, health literacy, & developmental considerations; assesses & documents patient comprehension; refers to facility-based multidisciplinary education programs as indicated.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, Intermittent (no holidays) Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Available (Ad-hoc based on service needs) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55073A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized