Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) is a licensed pharmacist who functions at the highest level of clinical practice and works independently as a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) under their scope of practice to directly care for patients. The CPP serves as an advanced practice provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services.

Duties

The CPP will be assigned to the PACT team in the primary care clinics. Teams are located in the main facility and associated community-based outpatient clinics. The CPP will be consulted by their team(s) for comprehensive medication management of complex patients with chronic diseases commonly seen in the primary care setting. Clinical 1) Core functions include face-to-face, telephone, and VA video connect (VVC) encounters with referred patients, for comprehensive medication management in practice areas identified in their individual scope of practice. 2) Functions as an advanced practice provider to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans with an independent scope of practice. i. Initiates, modifies or discontinues patient's medication therapy for intensive medication therapy management services. Provides patient-specific drug therapy modifications to maximize patient response and minimizing drug interactions, adverse drug effects, and polypharmacy while providing cost-effective treatment. The assessments are based on clinical reviews and objective measures. ii. Orders, performs, reviews and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Provides follow-up with patients on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy (i.e. changes in medication therapy, monitoring and evaluation, additional testing requirements, referral to primary care or specialty care physician). iii. Ensures therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen, reviewing for potential therapeutic duplications, drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug-disease interactions. iv. Evaluates and orders supply items as appropriate for patient care. v. Determines if a referral to the physician is necessary when disease progression occurs or adverse drug events require treatment interventions outside of the CPP scope of practice. 3) Serves as an independent anticoagulation provider in the anticoagulation clinic as needed/scheduled. 4) Supervises the activities of clinical pharmacy technician(s). i. Monitors and directs the clinical pharmacy technician(s) in patient care responsibilities. Reports any serious problems to supervisor. ii. Assigns tasks and sets priorities for clinical pharmacy technician(s) when in the practice area. Provides guidance and direction as needed for efficient accomplishment of tasks assigned. iii. Reviews the work of the clinical pharmacy technician(s) and takes corrective action if needed. Drug Information 1) Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and adherence to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians, and students. 2) Has good working knowledge of information resources, both written and electronic. 3) Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned. 4) Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Education 1) Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides pharmacy-related educational opportunities to nursing, medical staff or to other ancillary services. 2) Maintains his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics in the area of practice. 3) Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and other staff on assigned teams. 4) Serves as preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents in accordance with established policies. Research 1) Participation in research activities must be in accordance with FDA guidelines and regulations and VHA policy. 2) The CPP may be involved in designing and conducting research studies or assist in the same. Proposals for research must be submitted to the IRB and Research and Development Committee. Other 1) Serves on medical center and/or VISN committees as assigned. 2) Adheres to all medical center and department policies and regulations. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM 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 Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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. 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. 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). 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: GS-13 Clinical Pharmacist Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. 1. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. 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. Preferred Experience 1. Completion of Pharmacy Residency accredited by American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) OR; 2. At least one year of Clinical ambulatory care experience and ability to demonstrate the following higher level duties: initiate, modify, or discontinue medication therapy; design, implement, assess, monitor and document therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; help achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers and interdisciplinary teams; perform physical assessments; and order laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy. 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. 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.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. How You Will Be Evaluated

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility. 2. All other VA employees. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. Other Information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.