The Philadelphia VA Medical Center is recruiting for a Clinical Pharmacy Supervisor - Hematology/Oncology. The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist acts as a representative of the Pharmacy Service, in a variety of positions throughout the Healthcare System.

Duties

Duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Clinical Practice: Directly involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned practice areas. Actively involved in reviewing patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with other providers and presents appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. Independently initiates, modifies, or discontinues medication therapy for items other than controlled substances under a scope of practice. Provides patient-specific drug therapy modifications to maximize patient response and minimize drug interactions, adverse drug effects, and polypharmacy while providing cost effective treatment. Orders, performs, reviews, and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Follows-up with patients on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy. Performs physical assessment of patients as appropriate. Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs within required timelines for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable. Administrative: Develops, establishes, and maintains written policies and procedures defining operational requirements. Supervises the implementation of clinical pharmacy programs, including operational, educational, and research activities. Actively participates in human resources opportunities, such as interviews for potential employee candidates, screening and recommends appointments, advancement and all promotions or disciplinary action to the Chief, Pharmacy Service or Associate Chief, Clinical, Pharmacy Programs and the Pharmacy Professional Standards Board or Human Resources as appropriate. Promotes good labor management relations and supports Equal Opportunity program initiatives in daily activities. Ensures assigned administrative projects and reports are submitted in a timely manner. Ensures employee competencies are completed within 90 days of start date for new positions and as needed. Supervisory: Provides first level supervision to pharmacists, technicians, trainees, and other staff assigned to clinical pharmacy program areas. Establishes work schedules and allocates staff as needed to provide adequate coverage. Maintains time and attendance records and approves leave according to facility policy. Assesses workload shifts, identifying backlogs and makes staffing adjustments as needed to meet organizational goals. Directs and inspects work of subordinates for accuracy and timeliness. Supervises, orients, and trains employees, residents, and students to ensure both an acceptable quality and quantity of work. Develops performance plans and standards that are realistic, challenging, and relate whenever possible to VHA and Medical Center goals. Ensures the employees meet performance standards and competencies and identifies areas of improvement as needed. Program Management: Coordinates a single program area of a complex pharmacy operation, or multiple program areas within a facility to develop, organize, manage, and control complex pharmacy programs. Assists in the operations of the other areas of the Pharmacy Service including distribution and clinical work in other areas (e.g., medication order review and verification, relief help in other clinics or in the pharmacies as needed). Assists in planning and implementing of Pharmacy quality assurance activities. Assures overall levels of clinical pharmacy services are maintained at a quality consistent with current and accepted VHA healthcare delivery standards. Coordinates a process to assure appropriate workload capture and billing for clinical pharmacy services where applicable. Research: Assists in designing and completing research studies involving clinical pharmacist functions, quality assurance, drug use evaluations, or pharmacotherapy. Participates in collaborative research studies involving drug therapy with other services. Education: Assesses education needs of the patient and/or caretaker(s) to help ensure that pharmaceutical outcome goals are met. Provides education using suitable oral or written communication techniques appropriate for the age, development and cultural requirements of the patient and/or caretaker(s). Provides drug information to other pharmacy staff and healthcare professionals. Identifies, develops, and/or provides in-service training for other pharmacy staff or healthcare professionals. Serves as adjunct preceptor for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate pharmacy students and pharmacy residents (as applicable). Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm.

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. 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. English language proficiency in both written and spoken English. Physical requirement: pre-employment physical required. 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. Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. (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 Specialist. The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) 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 CPS 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: Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Preferred Experience: 1+ year of Acute Care, Hematology/Oncology, OR USP 797/800 experience AND 1+ year of supervisory experience References: VA Handbook 5005/55, part II, Appendix G15. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Pre-Employment physical is required, See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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 Corporal Michael J Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 3900 Woodland Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104 US
• Name: William Simmons
• Phone: (717) 272-6621 X4024
• Email: [email protected]