Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

Full Job Description

Serves as a provider with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's Scope of Practice for Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) in Primary Care/PACT.

The primary responsibility of the CPP is the provision of evidence-based pharmaceutical care services through both direct and indirect interaction with patients and providers.

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).

TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION 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).

YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF FPGEE AND TOEFL WITH YOUR APPLICATION 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.

YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF CURRENT LICENSE WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE. Grade Determinations: Must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Examples of experience include: 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; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; and documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs).

In addition, you must have experience which demonstrates the following knowledge, skills and abilities: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Major Duties:

Directly involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the provider as appropriate Actively involved in reviewing 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 Monitors for and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues Possesses expertise in the principles of clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and is knowledgeable and able to make dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings Reviews and evaluates prior authorization drug request (PADR) consults for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable Assists with medication use evaluations and other Pharmacy and Therapeutics activities Documents clinical interventions using the PharmD Tool in CPRS in a timely and professional manner as appropriate Promotes and monitors compliance for established drug therapy policies Works with providers to ensure compliance with national, VISN, and local initiatives Serves on medical center and/or VISN committees as requested Reviews and verifies medication orders to be administered to patients in primary care, prior to administration, for appropriateness and to reduce potential risk of adverse drug events Primary provider to document information into VA Adverse Drug Event Reporting System (VA ADERS).

All clinical pharmacy specialists share the responsibility to ensure reporting of adverse drug events is completed by clinicians Responsible for keeping abreast of changes within Pharmacy Service (i.e., formulary additions and deletions, interdepartmental memoranda, relevant station memoranda, policies, and procedures) and maintains a general knowledge of VA, DEA and JCAHO regulations Participates in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, and other medical center personnel as required Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices Serves as preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents in accordance with established protocols Assists in new employee orientation sessions as scheduled Assists in the development of proposals for improved and/or new clinical pharmacy services Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians, and students Maintains a current knowledge of therapeutics and disease management Provides timely and accurate responses to drug information inquiries from all customers Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4:30p Telework: Ad-hoc Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized