Summary

Pharmacy services are provided to all Veteran patients receiving care in the patient areas of the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System (CTVHCS). A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local - Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) - and national policies and regulations.

Qualifications

Health Professional Trainee's: HPTs who have successfully completed or are expected to successfully complete an affiliate sponsored or VA Sponsored training program may be considered based on completing the requirements listed below by the date of appointment. Please ensure you provide all supporting documentation regarding your training program and expected completion. ***HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment.

Basic Requirements:

• 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
• (1) 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.) (2) 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.(1) Exception
• Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B)
• The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist
• For grade levels above the GS-11 - the candidate must be licensed.(2) Failure to Obtain License
• In all cases - pharmacists must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment
• At the time of appointment - the supervisor will provide the unlicensed pharmacist with the written requirement to obtain licensure - the date by which the license must be acquired - and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline
• Failure to become licensed within 2 years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0660 Pharmacist series and may result in termination of employment
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• English Language Proficiency
• Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d).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).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: GS-11 Pharmacist Experience - Education - and Licensure
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education
• In addition to the basic requirements - candidate must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) OR have completed an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program
• 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
• 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
• providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution
• Preferred Experience: >3 years inpatient or hospital pharmacy experience Knowledge and experience with inpatient pharmacy operations Experience with pharmacokinetic management of vancomycin and aminoglycosides Experience with IV and TPN preparation Knowledge of VA formulary Knowledge and experience with patient USP 797/800 requirements Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is 12
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12
• Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15 - 44 lbs)
• Light lifting - under (> - 15 lbs)
• Moderate Carrying (15 - 44 lbs)
• Light carrying under (> - 15 lbs)
• Reaching above shoulder
• Use of fingers
• Both hands required
• Walking (up to 2 hours)
• Standing (up to 4 hours)
• Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
• Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other
• Ability to distinguish basic colors
• ability to distinguish shades of colors
• Hearing (aid permitted)
• Emotional stability
• Environmental Factors: Constant noise
• Solvents (degreasing agents)
• Working on ladders or scaffolding
• Working with hands in water and Working closely with others

Duties

• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Drug Dispensing Enters - processes - and/or edits new prescription orders from providers accurately Processes refills - partials - renewal prescription requests timely Accurately dispenses prescriptions - medication orders - and supplies
• Fills prescriptions by selecting the correct drug and dosage form - reducing the drug from bulk to the quantity prescribed - compounding when necessary - then packaging and labeling the drug in an appropriate manner
• Exercises care in the dispensing of drugs - especially controlled substances - investigational and cytotoxic drugs - to assure that legal and agency regulations and instructions are followed - that proper and complete recordkeeping is maintained - and that the drug storage areas are stocked - safe - and secure
• Reviews the patient medication profile prior to dispensing drugs and medications
• Responsible for special formulations - and for extemporaneous compounding of routine and special medications requiring complex compounding procedures
• Checks technician-prepared orders when necessary
• Clinical Performs patient medication profile reviews upon entering orders and utilizes knowledge of pharmacology - pharmacokinetics - pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics to evaluate orders for appropriateness
• Ensures appropriate laboratory monitoring of drug therapy and provides pharmacokinetic services
• Utilizes available resources including laboratory and other diagnostic data to communicate questionable therapy - non- formulary therapy or therapy outside of established criteria to prescribers and offers reasonable alternatives - responding to requests in a timely manner
• Provides medication and disease state management information and participates in other educational endeavors including patient and family education and medical/nursing staff education
• Participates in Drug Utilization Evaluations and actively documents and reports Adverse Drug Events in addition to medication errors
• Renews expired chronic medications to stable patients with future primary care appointments
• Follows applicable policy and procedures when renewing prescriptions
• Administrative/Supervisory Knowledgeable of - adheres to and applies established policies and procedures during the performance of duties
• Responsible for supervising the organization of workflow and finished products prepared by Pharmacy Technicians
• Provides administrative consultations to patients and other CTVHCS employees concerning pharmacy policies - and regulations to resolve problems and or concerns in a caring - professional manner
• Recognizes that communication is vital for the effective and efficient operation of the pharmacy and is responsible for communicating problems and concerns incurred on tour of duty daily through use of electronic mail to help solve problems within processes for continuous quality improvement
• Responsible for promoting a culture of safety and will fully cooperate in efforts to improve patient safety and eradicate potential events including the reporting of events resulting in actual or potential injury to a patient
• Demonstrate knowledge of the reporting procedures involving safety issues relating to patients
• Supports training of Doctor of Pharmacy candidates - VALOR interns - pharmacy residents - pharmacy technician students - or other pharmacy trainees
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday
• 11:00pm - 7:30am
• possible weekends/holidays Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 55740-F/55741-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized