The Inpatient Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) provides clinical services to the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders(SCI/D)unit and SCI/D patients transferred to other wards as a consult provider. The Spinal Cord Injury CPP functions at the highest level of clinical practice and top of licensure and serves as an advanced practice provider working independently with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's practice area-based scope of practice.

Duties

Functions as an advanced practice provider for comprehensive medication management to achieve defined outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned care area(s). Performs physical assessment and medication reconciliation in alignment with established policies or procedures. Provides CMM for complex patients with chronic diseases in alignment with scope of practice & position title. Orders, performs, reviews, and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Follows-up with patients on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy, i.e. changes in medication therapy, monitoring, and additional testing requirements. 6)Demonstrates advanced knowledge of pharmaceutics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics as determined by peer review and documentation of clinical interventions using the PhARMD Tool and Theradoc. Documents interventions and recommendations via CPRS progress notes and consults, demonstrating the ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. Effectively instruct patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Adjusts communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations. Accurately assess and document patient comprehension. Refers patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams. Monitors and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures and in accordance with the VAADERS Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting program. Obtain medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider as appropriate. Assists Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee with medication use evaluations and other safety initiatives. Documents clinical interventions and patient care encounters in the electronic health record in a timely and professional manner as appropriate. Review and evaluate requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable. Documentation in CPRS meets standards for timeliness, quality, completeness, and clarity. Promote and monitor compliance for established drug therapy policies. Work with providers to ensure compliance with national, VISN, and local initiatives. Review and verify medication orders for appropriateness and minimize potential risk of adverse drug events. Participate in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and other medical center personnel as required. Serves as a subject matter expert for Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders for assigned committees, workgroups or interdisciplinary teams. Participates in self-development activities to maintain and strengthen professional competence in Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders. May serve as preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents in accordance with established policies. 5) Assists in new employee orientation education sessions as needed. Demonstrates knowledge of the design, conduct, and interpretation of controlled clinical drug trials or other research in area of practice. Serve as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance, to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians and students. Uses appropriate references to research drug information. Demonstrates recognized expertise in the area of substance use disorder management. Provide timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers. Monitor and report drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. 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. Keeps abreast of changes in the Pharmacy Service (i.e. formulary additions and deletions, interdepartmental memoranda, relevant station memoranda, and policies and procedures) and maintains a general knowledge of VHA, DEA, and JC regulations. Actively participates or contributes to process improvement initiatives, which may impact quality, productivity, safety, and/or reduced waste. Serve on medical center and/or VISN committees as requested. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Functional Statement #: 554-58986-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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: 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.) 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.) Foreign Education: 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). GS-13 Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the qualifications for the GS-13 Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. 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. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's): 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: Post Graduate Year 1 Pharmacy Residency and/or Board Certification and/or clinical experience in spinal cord injury preferred. In addition, preferred experience in precepting pharmacy residents. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Employees are typically expected to work forty hours per week. Normal ranges of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color. An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job. Work is performed in patient care and office areas of the facility. Work areas are adequately heated and lighted. Potential exists for: exposure to infectious patients or materials; exposure to hazardous and toxic substances including but not limited to solvents and cleaning solutions; sticks or cuts from hypodermic needles, lancets or other sharp items.

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 VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System 1700 N Wheeling St Aurora, CO 80045 US
• Name: VISN 19 HR Contact Center
• Phone: 719-227-4600
• Email: [email protected]