This Pharmacist-controlled substance position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Durham, NC Veterans Affairs Medical Center under the Pharmacy Service Line. This position can be assigned to work in any section of the pharmacy service and must be available to work rotating shifts.

Duties

The duties of the Clinical Pharmacist include, but are not limited to: a. Performs work involving the collection, compilation, and/or tracking of data and statistical information in support of a pharmacy-controlled substance program operation. b. Performs a basic analysis of the data and generates a variety of reports. c. Evaluates documents, e.g., completeness, accuracy, and other data collection forms. Reviews documents, reports and/or applications for omissions and inconsistencies, and ensures data entry complete and accurate. d. Performs delivery tracking for medication packages. e. Initiates discrepancy resolution using the data generated the same day of discovery. Controlled substance a. Resolves a variety of questions posed by physicians, mid-level providers, nurses and coworkers related to drugs, pharmacy services and departmental policies and procedures. Must be able to interpret VA, federal and state regulations, Joint Commission, DEA, FDA, hospital and Pharmacy department policies and be able to apply the same to given situations. Must have the ability to exercise sound judgment in a variety of situations and be able to refer matters of policy making to a supervisor. b. The incumbent is responsible for filling checking and/or processing of prescriptions, dispensing unit dose medications, prepackaging, and fulfilling whatever professional duties that are required or assigned. c. Coordinates with the pharmacy IV room, nurses and other vault staff to ensure controlled substance IV preparations are made and delivered to the wards in a timely manner. d. Responsible for receipt, processing, verification, and wasting, if necessary, all medication orders for inpatient and outpatient Schedule II-V drugs and assures completeness, accuracy and conformance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations. e. Maintains exact perpetual inventory of all narcotic and controlled drugs in the vault including 72- hour check of controlled substances inventory in inpatient and outpatient vaults and other areas as deemed necessary by VHA, Pharmacy Policy and Federal Law. f. Maintains absolute security of all Schedule II-V drugs in the vault. Supervisory Relationship: The controlled substance pharmacist functions under the supervision of the narcotic vault pharmacy supervisor. Plans and completes tasks based on established protocols, accepted clinical, pharmaceutical practices and rules and regulations. The incumbent supervises GS-7 pharmacy technicians in Controlled Substances in the absence of the Vault Supervisor. Work Schedule: Rotating Shifts - Schedules includes evenings, weekends and holidays. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. 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 programs; 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 (TOEF iBT). Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d). Candidates 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: Creditable Experience Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board. Residency and Fellowship Training. Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination). Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination. Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, you must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). 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) (GS-12): 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 5005/55PART II APPENDIX G15, LICENSED PHARMACIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Involves standing/sitting for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighting up to 50 lbs., and bending/stooping.

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 Durham VA Medical Center 508 Fulton Street Durham, NC 27705 US
• Name: Therese Lowe
• Phone: 8038695875
• Email: [email protected]