The Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) works independently at the highest level of clinical practice within Ambulatory Care areas at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center and the associated community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), as an integral part of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.

Duties

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws The following is a list of the duties but not limited to: Clinical Practice: The Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist will: 1. Promote the appropriate, economical, safe and effective use of medication therapy through maintaining independent Ambulatory Care clinical pharmacy practice sites. Practice sites may include but are not limited to: Anticoagulation Management Clinics Primary Care/PACT Clinics Specialty Care Clinics 2. Maintain collaborative and comprehensive medication therapy management clinics and services in designated areas of practice which may include a primary focus on obesity and weight management, under a scope of practice. This shall include physical assessment, ordering lab and diagnostic tests necessary to manage medication therapy, referring patients to appropriate health care providers as needed, performing patient triage functions and independently initiating, adjusting and discontinuing medications. 3. Deliver direct care to patients through a variety of modalities which may include but are not limited to: Face-to-face care, telephone, video/telemedicine, e-consults, shared medical appointments, drop-in group medical appointments, group education classes and/or secured messaging interactions. 4. Document encounters and clinical decisions in CPRS progress notes. 5. Maintain a collaborative case management relationship with registered nurse case/care managers and nurse practitioners within designated practice areas. The CPS will provide appropriate independent medication changes including initiation, adjustment and discontinuation for patients seen and evaluated then presented to the CPS and deemed to be within the CPS scope of practice for disease state management. 6. Provide medication extensions when prescribing provider is not available. 7. Critically review non-formulary drug requests according to criteria for use for appropriateness, safety, cost-effectiveness and utilizing evidence-based decision making. 8. Provide professional consultative services related to their designated area of practice, to other health care providers. Professional consultative services include but are not limited to extensive drug information services, formulary management and medication recommendations. 9. Work as part of an interdisciplinary team within the CPS practice site to help achieve positive patient centric outcomes. Educational Activities: 1. Supervise and train Pharmacy Practice residents and Doctor of Pharmacy students on rotation in Ambulatory Care. 2. May serve as professional mentor to Pharmacy Practice residents. 3. May serve as a mentor in the development and conduct of resident research projects including development of research questions, methodology, application to IRB, and assisting with presentation and manuscript. 4. Participate in the training and development of professional staff from varying services. 5. Participate in academic detailing activities as assigned. 6. Serve as a preceptor/trainer for visiting healthcare professionals or students who want to broaden their knowledge and skills and/or establish their own clinical practices. 7. Maintain knowledge and complete continuing education in therapeutic areas of expertise. 8. Complete all required TMS in a timely manner. Scholarly Functions: 1. May actively participate in research activities. 2. May assist in research efforts by other healthcare professionals. 3. May provide professional and technical assistance to research investigators when needed. 4. May contribute to the total body of professional knowledge though publication in professional journals and/or oral or poster presentations at professional meetings. 5. May contribute to Pharmacy Service publications and other medical center publications. Administrative Functions: 1. Assist the Ann Arbor Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor and the Toledo Outpatient Supervisory Pharmacist in coordinating clinical pharmacist involvement in Ambulatory Care clinical pharmacy services. 2. Assist in Medication Usage Evaluation which monitors the usage of medications in the Ambulatory Care clinic setting. 3. Assist in medication cost containment activities within the Ambulatory Care clinic setting. 4. Assist in Quality Assurance (QA) activities in the Ambulatory Care clinic setting. 5. Participate in facility wide process improvement though involvement in committees and workgroups as assigned. 6. Assist in the training of new employees in multiple disciplines as needed. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm, negotiable and based on Service needs. Compressed/Flexible:Available if approved by supervisor. Telework: Available 6+ days per pay period if approved by supervisor. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 925180 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) 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://vvww.acpe-accredit.orgt (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. 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 (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: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). Grandfathering provision: 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-12 Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level; or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. Program. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): 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. GS-13 Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. 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 and or PGY2 Pharmacy Practice Residency in Ambulatory Care or Pharmacotherapy or equivalent experience. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-15 Licensed Pharmacist Qualification. Physical Requirements: The work environment is an inpatient pharmacy, an outpatient pharmacy, or a patient care area environment (including the Surgical Suite or Emergency Department). There may be extremes of temperature, distractions, noise from equipment or patient care activities. Handles frozen and refrigerated products often. May be required to use heating equipment. Exposure to negative and positive air pressure rooms is also possible. Must be able to don/doff protective garments and use equipment as necessary for assignment. May work with cleaning and disinfecting products occasionally. Must have the use of fingers; both hands required; Twisting and grasping of bottles and vials or syringes occurs frequently. Some lifting (25 lbs.), stretching and forward and overhead reaching is involved. Walking and standing 8-12 hours; repeated bending 8 hours; both legs required. May have to kneel to retrieve product(s) from lower cabinets or the floor. Must be able to rapidly coordinate mental and muscular duties simultaneously. Computer keyboard activity and computer monitor use is frequently performed. May be required to operate robotic packaging machinery and automated dispensing devices. Fine motor skills (for packaging and counting) and excellent visual acuity (for expiration date, tablet identification, and prescription interpretation) are required. Near vision correctable @ 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception; ability to distinguish shades of colors. Hearing acuity is required for phone communication, patient counseling and professional communication (hearing aid use is permitted). May be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials or other parts of the facility, carrying of light objects such as books and reports. May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. Must be a mature, flexible sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Works closely with others. May have protracted or irregular hours of work. Shift rotation is commonly 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 Ann Arbor VA Medical Center 2215 Fuller Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 US
• Name: Eric Earns
• Phone: (989) 397-4981
• Email: [email protected]