The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) in acute critical care is the clinical expert within the Pharmacy Department. In addition to maintaining an ongoing and outstanding knowledge base with regard to current literature and contemporary practice, their functions include spending the majority of his/her time in the following responsibilities: clinical pharmaceutical care, clinical leadership, regulatory and quality monitor compliance, and individual and team mentoring.

Duties

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Major duties are inclusive of the following: Provides a comprehensive drug therapy to assess drug use patterns, compliance, therapeutic duplications, significant drug interactions, appropriateness of drug therapy and patient care outcomes. Designs, implements, monitors, evaluates, and modifies patient pharmacotherapy to ensure effective, safe, and economical patient care. Completes consults as requested to assess pharmacotherapy. Participates in interdisciplinary rounds. Provides the full range of resources as a specialist in drug information covering a wide range of therapeutic classes and especially in the area of his/her training. Advises other members of the medical/surgical team as well as other health care providers on all matters relating to medication, i.e., drug administration, toxicities, incompatibilities, dosages, alternative medications, contraindications, drug interactions, formulary medications, etc. Participates in taking medication histories. Screens these patients' medication profiles for adverse drug reactions and records in CPRS chart as well as VA ADERs system, compliance, drug interactions, drug allergies and drug-food interactions. Investigates and reports any suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRS). Counsels' patients to improve patients' compliance with treatment plan. Actively participates in the Medical Center's medication use reviews/studies to assess our medication use patterns. Evaluates new drug requests and non-formulary requests for his/her assigned area. Keeps accurate records of clinical interventions for later follow-up and quality assurance purposes. Manages the medication programs of selected patients by writing orders for appropriate medications (excluding controlled substances), diagnostic studies, etc., in the patient's medical record, according to approved clinical privileges per scope of practice. Reviews non-formulary or restricted medication requests for appropriateness. Recommends appropriate drug therapy under a scope of practice. Determines appropriate timing for blood samples to be drawn for therapeutic drug monitoring. Acts as a liaison between the patient, medical team, inpatient and outpatient pharmacy to ensure a smooth and timely discharge process. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm with rotating weekends Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD54517A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) 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. 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 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. GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. 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: PGY1 Pharmacy Residency is preferred, but not required. References: VA Handbook 5005, PART II, Appendix G15. Pharmacist Qualification Standards. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of supplies weighing at least 50 pounds, bending/stooping, pushing/pulling of automated dispensing cabinets through various terrains.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Atlanta VA Medical Center 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033 US
• Name: Michelle Ojeda
• Phone: 314-917-6890
• Email: [email protected]