The Cincinnati, OH VA Medical Center is recruiting for a highly motivated Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist for the Pharmacy Service. The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist is a licensed professional with knowledge and proficiency in pharmacy practice including pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics. The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist is primarily located at the Vine Street location but may also provide support to the Fort Thomas Division.

Duties

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati, Ohio and Fort Thomas, Kentucky serving 15 counties in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue, KY; Florence, KY; Lawrenceburg, IN; Hamilton, OH; Clermont County, OH, and Georgetown, OH. Cincinnati VAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division. Duties: Pharmacy Operations/Processing: Workflow should be organized to complete the workload as accurately, timely, and efficiently as possible. Prescription processing will be performed in accordance with The Joint Commission accreditation standards, ASHP pharmacy practice standards and VHA requirements. Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness, drug selection, dosage, route of administration and the amount, prior to dispensing. Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record. Provides medication counseling to patients. Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse; problems encountered shall be resolved. Selects, compounds, dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, ophthalmic preparations (subconjunctival and intravitreal injections), controlled substances, investigational drugs, oncolytic agents, etc. Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable. Quality and Patient Safety: Performs a thorough review of all prescriptions processed, checked, and dispensed and uses clinical judgement when making recommendations. 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. Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: a. Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen b. Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen c. Appropriateness of the route and method of administration d. Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen e. Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug disease interactions f. Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects. g. Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms. Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS, JPSR, and any other pertinent reporting programs. Clinical Activities: Provides and documents continuity of care by extending refills (per policy) for patients without refills or refers patient to appropriate healthcare provider. Demonstrates a working knowledge of VISN and Cincinnati VA Medical Center and Ft. Thomas Divisions, Drug Formulary, and activity of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee to provide appropriate and cost-effective drug therapy recommendations. Implements and monitors cost-effective drug regiments (protocols promoting positive patient outcomes). Documents patient care activities (medication reconciliation, clinical interventions, etc.) and communicates with healthcare providers consistent with Medical Center policy and procedures and Joint Commission standards. 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. Follows non-formulary policies and procedures when evaluating non-formulary orders and submits new or changed drug file requests when appropriate. Provides ongoing clinical review of medication profiles by reviewing medications, side effects, interactions, formulary status, compliance, and/or polypharmacy. Informs the healthcare provider of all perceived discrepancies and errors in a timely manner. Completes discharge consults accurately and according to the internal policy. Calls providers to resolve and follow-up on any decencies on an as needed basis. Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education. Work Schedule: Rotating 8a-4:30p; 9:30a-6p; weekends/holidays rotate. Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91139-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

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. 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.) OR (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. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) (a) 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. (b) 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. 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Outpatient pharmacy experience preferred. References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15. Physical Requirements: Work requires moderate lifting, walking, bending, stooping, sitting, pushing, and pulling. May require prolonged periods of standing.

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 Cincinnati VA Medical Center 3200 Vine Street Cincinnati, OH 45220 US
• Name: Michelle GradyCagle
• Phone: 513-557-8818
• Email: [email protected]