Pharmacist (Facility Program Manager) - Pharmacy Inventory Management

Full Job Description

The Facility Program Manager - Pharmacy Inventory Management serves as the individual responsible for oversight of inventory management within Pharmacy Service as a member of the Pharmacy Management Team at the Iowa City VA Health Care System (ICVAHCS).

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.

English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, 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.) 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.

NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C.

§ 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment.

This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification.

GS-13 Facility Program Manager Grade Determinations: Experience. You must have 1 year of experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12).

Equivalent experience includes: Handling routine medication-related activities including, but not limited to: 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; contacting providers as appropriate; documenting recommendations and interventions; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; taking health and medication histories; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); assisting in medical emergencies; and providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution.

AND Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

You must demonstrate the following 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.

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications.

Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.

References: https://department.va.gov/employees/va-qualifications-standards/ Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination as part of the pre-employment process for this position.

Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Major Duties:

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Duties include, but are not limited to: Organizes and manages all aspects of the Pharmacy procurement program to ensure that the Pharmacy Service is compliant with all Federal, VHA and local acquisition regulations including development, implementation, monitoring, and reporting for the ICVAHCS.

Participates in the management of a multi-million-dollar budget for inventory management of pharmaceuticals and supplies.

Manages all components of Procurement, Inventory Management, Reverse Distribution and Pharmaceutical destruction operations for the ICVAHCS.

This includes compliance oversight of all individuals involved in procurement, inventory management, destruction, and reverse distribution.

Develops and implements appropriate procedures, oversees compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards, and ensures competency of procurement personnel.

Collaborates with members of the Pharmacy Service to ensure medication and supply inventory and procurement processes are sufficient to meet patient care needs and follows all VHA Directives, local policies, and regulatory compliance expectations.

Provides general oversight and responsibility for all Pharmacy procurement.

Collectively establishes PAR levels and reorder points for all Pharmacy inventory utilizing purchasing strategies to ensure adequate inventory based upon turns while minimizing excess inventory, returns, and waste.

Regularly presents to Pharmacy Leadership on topics including expenditures, cost analysis, stock usage, budgeting, drug shortages, drug recalls and new products.

Serves as the lead of the Pharmacy Drug Shortage Workgroup, which monitors and manages medication and supply backorders/shortages and provides accurate and timely communication and maintains the medications and supply backorder/shortage/allocation electronic document on the Pharmacy SharePoint site.

Oversees out-of-stock situations for informational updates and procurement solutions.

Coordinates medication conversions to comply with local, VISN, and National contracts or approved formulary substitutions.

Provides information to patients, providers and other healthcare personnel in regard to the conversion process to promote a safe and efficient transition.

Provides clinical judgement in considering cost-effective alternatives within the National Formulary for drug shortages due to backorders or recalls.

Collaborates with providers in the respective specialties to determine alternatives for items on long term shortage.

Serves as the Cache Manager for the Pharmacy Drug Cache ensuring cache inventory are maintained, secured, and appropriately stocked for emergency situations.

Responsible for all record-keeping, reporting, inspections, and exercises.

Serves as the primary Pharmacy procurement point of contact for medications subject to Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) safety programs.

Oversees procurement of all specialty and compounding Pharmacy products.

Provides oversight and responsibility for all pharmaceutical returns and credit reconciliation processes including expired or soon-to-expire medications held for return for credit and controlled substances held for destruction or return.

Ensures that all products such as medications, hazardous medications, medications requiring special handling, supplies, etc.

are received, reconciled, and documented in accordance with applicable guidelines.

Ensures that all pharmacy products are disposed of through the appropriate waste streams, including adherence to Green Environmental Management Services (GEMS) and all other related standards.

Obtains and maintains certification as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and maintains all COR responsibilities for any contracts and/or sharing agreements entered in to involving ICVAHCS Pharmacy Service.

Provides general oversight and responsibility for all medication and supply recalls ensuring timely response, action, and notification. Oversees storage requirements of pharmacy products.

Directs inventory control activities, verifying accuracy of records and updates across Pharmacy accountability and automated dispensing platforms.

Organizes and leads the annual wall-to-wall inventory of the Pharmacy service.

Directly supervises Procurement Technicians, overseeing performance reviews, competency assessments, and development of position descriptions and standards.

Makes recommendations on appointments, advancements, and disciplinary actions. Manages leave approvals, work schedules, and timekeeping to maintain proper staffing levels.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized