The acute care clinical pharmacists will be responsible for all veterans receiving care on an inpatient ward, ICU, O.R., day surgery, dialysis unit, x-ray, GI lab, Cardiac Cath. lab, CLC, and the emergency department. The clinical pharmacists may be assigned to specific multidisciplinary teams and/or ward locations depending on the specific tour of duty.

Duties

Duties and skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to:. Customer Service: Treats patient, team members, other facility employees and visitors with respect. Demonstrates appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service. Acts as a team member and is supportive of the group's efforts at all times. Clinical: The clinical pharmacist provides appropriate recommendations for the selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects, toxicity, adverse effects, and clinical outcomes; and advises prescribers as appropriate. Provides consultation for patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring. Communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations, both orally and in writing, to other pharmacists and health care providers in charge of the patient. Management of anticoagulation therapy, including lab monitoring and dosage adjustments based on current medical center policy. Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's overall drug regimen, performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy. Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers. Participates in patient care rounds, reviews charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug-drug and drug-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies. 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. Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. Participates in medical emergencies including code teams (if BLS or ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities. Provides pharmacokinetic consultation, including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides, in accordance with local policy. Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education. Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy. Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents. Dispensing: 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; 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. 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, ophthalmics (subconjunctivals and intravitreal injections), narcotics, investigational drugs, oncologic agents, etc., in both outpatient and inpatient areas. Maintains adequate drug stock, inspects drug storage areas, supervises pre-packing and the operation of automated dispensing equipment. Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations. Education: The pharmacist is responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, participating in continuing education programs, and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties. Provides education to health care providers regarding medication use. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members. Conducts on-the-job training and provides guidance through designated programs. Program Management: Adheres to all medical center and department policies and regulations. Manages information security within areas of responsibility to assure that computer system security and confidentiality of sensitive information is maintained, and that employee access to sensitive information is limited only to that which the employee requires to perform their duties. Takes action as necessary to report and address violations of information security. Work Schedule: 7 days on, 7 days off 2:30pm - 11:00pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55649-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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: a. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. b. 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. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy). TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION (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). YOU MUST SUBMIT COPY OF FPGEC CERTIFICATION WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE. c. 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 VA regulations and policies. YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF CURRENT LICENSE WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE. e. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d). Grade Determinations: 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 PharmD program. 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; talcing 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. Grandfathering Provision: All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-660 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If a licensed pharmacist who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15, dated June 7, 2012, VA Licensed Pharmacist Qualification Standards, GS-660. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Must have full/ correctable vision with capability for discernment of shapes, color and markings. Hand- eye coordination as well as functional ability to compound sterile products (hand/ grip strength). Requires ability to stand for long periods of time in processing and dispensing as well as extended periods of time sitting in areas where prescription processing/ computer work is required.

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 Eastern Colorado HCS Denver 13611 E. Colfax Ave Aurora, CO 80045 US
• Name: Barbara Ruicker
• Phone: 918-616-1494
• Email: [email protected]