The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) for Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder (MH/SUD) who is also referred to as the Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner, Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder, works as a part of Pharmacy Services of a large tertiary care health care system at VA New Jersey Health Care System, and is involved with teaching, research and all facets of patient care, with specialization in MH/SUD related conditions.

Duties

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf The Pharmacy Service serves veterans throughout the state and has three pharmacy locations at East Orange, Lyons, and the James J. Howard Outpatient Clinic in Brick, NJ. The CPS may be asked to work at any of the sites if needed. Major duties and responsibilities of the position: - Expert and consultant to the Chief of Pharmacy Service for medication related issues in the Mental Health/Substance Use Disorders setting. - Serves as an independent practitioner in the Mental Health/Substance Use Disorders setting requiring the highest level of pharmacist clinical privileges with minimal supervision. - Provides medication reconciliation and acts as the primary liaison between pharmacy service and the Mental Health Services. - Participates in developing criteria for drug utilization evaluations, data collection, trending reports, and other quality assurance activities as required to ensure appropriate and safe drug utilization of medication in Mental Health/Substance Use Disorders patients. - Actively participates in local, state and national organizations related to the advancement of the pharmaceutical profession. - Directly assists other providers in rational medication selection by providing written and/or verbal consultation. - Responsible for assuring the safety and efficacy of the medication use process in the area assigned by reporting adverse drug effects, medication errors, and other quality issues. - Monitors medication use for appropriate drug selection and dose based on the clinical condition of the patient and diagnosis. Initiates and makes dosage adjustments based on clinical evaluation. - Performs physical assessment and uses laboratory data to support drug therapy recommendations and dosage adjustments. Regularly reviews lab results to assess effectiveness of therapy and to monitor for adverse events. Orders laboratory tests as required. - Functions as therapeutic expert in drug use within the Mental Health/Substance Use Disorders patient population by making recommendations for drug selection. Provides drug information to the medical staff, both orally and in writing, on all aspects of medication therapy. - Assists with budgetary management of the pharmacy through formulary management, which includes reviewing orders and making recommendations to use Formulary medications as the first alternative in the absence of data supporting a change. Communicates regularly with medical staff on formulary management issues. Coordinates therapeutic substitution initiatives with the medical staff. - Interacts with providers on a regular basis in various patient care settings to assist with drug therapy regimens and protocols. Functions as a team member. - Conducts in-service education with the Pharmacy Staff on drug use, formulary management and other issues as they arise. Regularly informs staff of important aspects of drug use and therapy as it relates to the Pain management population. - Assists with supervising students and residents on rotation. Plans activities for students and residents, and follows through to ensure educational objectives are met. - Provides education and orientation to the medical staff and other health care professionals on pharmacy procedures and policies regarding medication use. - Provides medication counseling to patients, significant others or caregivers. Counseling includes, but is not limited to, intended use, expected side effects, correct dosage, special storage requirements, correct administration of drugs delivered thru devices, injection techniques, possible drug interactions or food/drug interactions and how to obtain refills. - Responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency as a preceptor by keeping abreast of developments in the current literature with regards to teaching trainees and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties as a preceptor. Work Schedule: Rotating Weekdays/Weekends/Holidays. To be discussed during the interview. Telework: When necessary or needed Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21K89-O Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Required Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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

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. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). 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 Requirements Experience (a) Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education: A. 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or B. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. (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. 1. 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: a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Preferred Experience: As this are newly approved position, candidates must demonstrate an ability to function independently and effectively in a collaborative Substance Use Disorder/Mental Health environment and meet qualifications as a PGY1 preceptor. Competitive candidates will have completed a PGY2 Mental Health (substance use disorder experience) residency -or- have completed a PGY1 residency with significant Substance Use Disorder/Mental Health experience. Candidates without residency training but have extensive clinical experience in Mental Health/Substance Use Disorder may be considered. BCAPP certification is highly desirable. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/55 JUNE 7, 2012 PART II APPENDIX G15 The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Some of the work is sedentary, but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, stooping, kneeling, pushing, repetitive use of hands and fingers, and carrying/lifting loads of up to 40 lbs. Work demands the ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously if necessary. Must by physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job. Potential for musculoskeletal fatigue due to prolonged standing, sitting or other activities. Work Environment: Work is performed in patient care setting and within an outpatient/inpatient Pharmacy setting.

Education

IMPORTANT: Unofficial transcript is accepted.

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 VA New Jersey Health Care System 385 Tremont Avenue East Orange, NJ 07018 US
• Name: Aleni Salcedo
• Phone: 917 859 9405
• Email: [email protected]