A GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Program Specialist-Quality Assurance) works in a VA Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP), a highly automated mail outpatient pharmacy that handles medication assessment and verification of prescription orders transmitted electronically from host sites and prepared for shipment in accordance with local and national CMOP policies and federal regulations.

Duties

The primary function of this position is to design, implement, assess, monitor, and document the quality of services provided. The incumbent will interact with administrative, professional and technical staff to ensure the provision of timely, quality service while optimizing patient safety and regulatory compliance. Although not required, preferred experience, concentration, or a candidate's area of interest: Experience with production data analysis Patient safety Quality improvement Duties include but are not limited to: Data Management and Analysis Produces reports to management, local, committees and the National Program office to support exceptional organizational performance. Uses advanced quality and analytical techniques to process internal and external data and make recommendations for improvement. Develops and maintains systems to effectively extract, analyze, store, and trend data and provide detailed and summary reports to management in a timely manner. Supports staff and management in effective data collection and analysis during quarterly facility inventories. Patient Safety Establishes and maintains systems for analyzing and monitoring internal and external error data. Responsible for local, national, and custom quality assurance reports on a scheduled or ad hoc basis. Conducts routine audits for compliance with established patient safety standards. May serve as the primary or back-up Patient Safety Manager. Performance Improvement Develops and maintains working knowledge of advanced performance improvement methods. Independently and effectively implements principles of established performance improvement methodologies to lead projects and accomplish organizational goals. Serves as Subject Matter Expert (SME) to management and staff on performance improvement methodologies and techniques to improve organizational performance. Assists in project execution as needed. Automation Support Stays current regarding new pharmacy automated dispensing technology. Monitors performance of the automated dispensing equipment, communicates issues, progress and status to Supervisory Pharmacist. Ensures the timeliness and accuracy of orders by utilizing internal monitors. Accreditation/Regulatory Compliance Effectively interacts with accreditation and regulatory officials and reports data as required. Develops and implements effective data management tools to ensure continuous survey readiness. Develops and maintains systems to perform and document routine audits for compliance with accreditation and regulatory requirements. Inventory/Product Line Support/Liaison Responsible for coordinating drug product issues among the participating customer facilities Stays current regarding new pharmaceutical therapies, developing standards of pharmacy practice and advances in information technology. Serves as a subject matter expert in developing policies, procedures, and training guidelines. Participates in coordination of inventory management/procurement in an effort to meet organizational initiatives. Administrative/Program Support Performs the full range of Clinical Pharmacist (Quality Assurance) duties as required. Develops and communicates expert understanding of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards Develops, implements and maintains effective Quality Assurance measures for organizational fulfillment Education Identifies and provides in-service training and other educational activities based on QA needs and performance of the staff. Stays current regarding new pharmaceutical therapies, developing standards of pharmacy practice and advances in information technology. Actively seeks educational advancement in areas such as Project Management, Lean, Six Sigma or other local or National CMOP initiatives. Supervisory Controls It is expected that the incumbent will effectively apply standard procedures, innovative techniques, and organized methodology to accomplish operational goals in cooperation with the Supervisory Pharmacist, other staff and supervisors. The incumbent may be called upon to participate in special studies, projects, or pilot programs which may vary in significance or scope. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: 6:00 am - 2:30 pm (1st Shift) Pay: Competitive salary and routine 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. 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 #: 70080A, Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

Requirements

Qualifications

Licensed Pharmacist 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. 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.) 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. 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 GS-12 requirements, must have 1 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: 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Specialized experience conducting quality assurance activities and patient safety reviews within a high volume mail order pharmacy preferred. Candidate should have strong writing and communication skills and demonstrate exceptional customer service skills. Additional experience and technical skills in data management and analytical software (SQL, PowerBI, etc) also desired. References: VA Handbook Staffing and VA Notice 22-12 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 13. Physical Requirements: 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Charleston VA CMOP 3725 Rivers Ave Suite 2 North Charleston, SC 29405 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]