The Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) acts as a representative of the Pharmacy Service, in a variety of positions throughout the Healthcare System. The CPP functions at the highest level of clinical pharmacy practice and works independently under a scope of practice area(s) based on their knowledge, competencies, clinical experience, and skills. This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP).

Duties

The practice for the CPP consists of direct and indirect patient care, drug therapy monitoring, prescriptive authority, quality assurance/improvement, and staff/patient education. The CPP is specially prepared by education, training, (i.e. advanced degree, licensure, and clinical experiences to skillfully apply the knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacoeconomics and pharmacotherapeutics in the clinical management of patients. The CPP is able to effectively influence clinical decision-making through communication, both orally and in the electronic medical record. The CPP participates in a professional practice evaluation program (ongoing and focused, as appropriate.) The CPP is able to perform all the clinical and dispensing functions listed in the clinical pharmacist functional statement, however, spends the majority of time working at the top of their license. The CPP is responsible to the Associate Chief, Clinical Pharmacy Programs and ultimately to the Chief, Pharmacy Service. Major duties include but are not limited to: Clinical Practice Duties: Functions independently under an individual scope of practice as defined by the health care system for chronic disease states with comprehensive medication management. Obtains thorough medication histories from patients. Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required and communicates findings with other relevant staff when applicable. Documents clinical interventions in a timely and professional manner as appropriate. Monitors for and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Applies knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care; Recognizes and takes action on significant abnormalities. Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable. Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Serves on medical center and/or VISN committees as requested. Education and Research Duties: Is responsible for maintaining and improving professional competency by keeping up with information on new medications, therapies, and innovations in pharmacy practice. The incumbent continually applies current drug information and program techniques in their daily practice. Responsible for keeping abreast of changes within Pharmacy Service. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Serves as preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents in accordance with established protocols. Assists in the development of proposals for improved and/or new clinical pharmacy services. Academic Detailing (AD) Duties: AD activity will encompass at least 20-50% (as required for the position) of the CPP's time. Develops policies and tools such as clinical guidance, dashboards, reports, clinical reminders, and consults to optimize disease management. Collects data and tracks the use, implementation, and impact of developed policies and tools. Analyzes prescribing practices and targets education to providers who do not appear to prescribe medication in accordance with clinical practice guidelines. Meets with providers regularly, in brief one-on-one and small group meetings, to discuss guidelines, review their prescribing profiles, and educate them on relevant newly published clinical literature. Provides lectures and/or in-service presentations related to clinical practice guidelines when requested by various healthcare teams. Monitors outcomes of programs, including cost-containment, savings and avoidance, healthcare resource utilization, and clinical patient information through various tools and reports available. Continually scans and evaluates new literature, clinical evidence and pricing changes to improve care and cost-containment initiatives. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am until 4:30pm or 8:30am until 5:00pm with rotating on-call Telework: Available EDRP Authorized: 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. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

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 (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. Physical requirement: pre-employment physical required. English language requirement: Pharmacist 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). Grade 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. Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner. The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPP) 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 CPP 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. Preferred Experience: Completion of an accredited PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency or an accredited PGY2 Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder Residency or equivalent experience is preferred. References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15 dated June 7, 2012. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-13. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, 15-44 lbs.; moderate carrying, 15-44 lbs.; reaching above shoulders; use of fingers; both hands required; walking up to 3 hours/day; standing up to 6 hours/day; near vision correctable at 13' to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; ability to read printed materials; ability to distinguish colors; emotional stability.

Education

IMPORTANT: A legible 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 VA Butler Healthcare 353 North Duffy Road Butler, PA 16001 US
• Name: Paula Schubele
• Phone: 850-710-0150
• Email: [email protected]