This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

Functions include but are not limited to: A. Clinical (1) The pharmacist 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. (2) 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 review and intervention in: Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen Appropriateness of the route and method of administration Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug disease interactions Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy (3) Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. (4) Provides medication counseling to patients. (5) Completes 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 review charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies. (8) Performs medication reconciliation at all transitions of care, 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. (9) Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms. (10) Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses/good catches, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. (11) Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program. (12) Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned. (13) Participates in medical emergencies (is BLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities. (14) Provides pharmacokinetic consultation, in accordance with local policy. (15) Implements PT&N Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education. (16) Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule. (17) Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy. (18) Manages various actions, as appropriate, for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions, managing view alerts, using the "hold medication" function, and generating electronic progress note for medication management issues when necessary (19) Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy. (20) Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents. (21) Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in-services to nursing, medical staff or to other ancillary services. (22) 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. B. Dispensing (1) Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing. (2) Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record. (3) Fills all orders in a timely fashion; review of the patient's allergy history, drug-drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately. (4) Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved. (5) Selects, dispenses and fills a range of medications in accordance with facility policies in both outpatient and inpatient areas. (6) Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises prepacking and the operation of automated dispensing equipment. (7) Supervises the activities of support personnel. (8) Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630 Telework: Not Available EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Requirements

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. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). Education (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). 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 Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates GS-11 Pharmacist: Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement in subparagraph 2c(1) above.) Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level): 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 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. 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. Preferred Experience: The employee must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the duties of the position, including the necessary skills to provide care appropriate to the population of patients served. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/55 PART II APPENDIX G15The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address White City VA Medical Center 8495 Crater Lake Highway White City, OR 97503 US
• Name: Keri Perez
• Phone: 541-440-1000 X40312
• Email: [email protected]