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

Will be responsible for analyzing real and potential drug-related problems and implementing corrective action to ensure the patients receive optimal drug therapy during inpatient stay and hospital discharges. Applies standards relating to all aspects of medication reconciliation and patient education. The primary function is to assure the safe and appropriate use of medications, patient education, and to be an advocate of rational drug therapy for hospitalized veterans. The Pharmacist handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with all applicable local, state, federal and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), rules and regulations. This includes, but is 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 which ensures safe and effective care. Reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, laboratory results, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems by 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, non-formulary 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 preparation and distribution. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen. any therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen. Appropriateness of the route and method of administration. Extent 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, toxicities, or other adverse effects. Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy. The clinical pharmacist provides continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. 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. Assess drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms. Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in harmony with VA ADERS and Incident reporting programs. Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program. Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned. Provides pharmacokinetic consultation, including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides, in accordance with Harbor policy. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths or suggests alternate drugs. Extends refills until the next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per Harbor policy. The clinical pharmacist 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. Fills all orders in a timely fashion; reviews the patient's allergy history, drug- drug, drug-nutrient, drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assesses for clinical relevance. Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse and resolves or reports any problems encountered. Selects, compounds and dispenses a full range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations, special formulations, narcotics, investigational drugs, oncolytic agents, etc., in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Maintains adequate drug stock and inspects drug storage areas. Oversees the activities of support personnel including pre-packaging activities and the use of any automated devices. Ensures that all drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with federal rules and regulations. Work Schedule: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21M50A EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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.) 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. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-12Clinical 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. (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. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/55 PART II APPENDIX G15. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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 VA NY Harbor Healthcare System 423 East 23rd Street New York, NY 10010 US
• Name: Maritza Cazares
• Phone: 718-584-9000 X6668
• Email: [email protected]