Clinical Pharmacist

Summary

The clinical pharmacist is a licensed professional with knowledge and proficiency in pharmacy practice including pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics. The pharmacist is responsible for analyzing real and potential drug-related medical problems and implementing corrective action to ensure that patients receive optimal drug therapy.

Duties

Clinical 1) The pharmacist provides appropriate selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; monitoring for efficacy, side effects and clinical outcome; and advises prescribers as appropriate. 2)Provides patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations to other health care providers in charge of the patient both orally and in writing. Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: a. Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's drug regimen b. Therapeutic duplication in the patient's drug regimen c. Appropriateness of the route and method of administration d. Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen e. Drug-drug, drug-food, drug-laboratory, or drug disease interactions f. Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects, toxicity, or adverse effects g. Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy 3) Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to ensure optimal drug therapy. 4) Provides medication counseling to patients. 5) Completes medication histories including patient interviews. 6) Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers, other health care professionals, patients and caregivers. 7) Participates in patient care rounds, review charts, evaluates pertinent laboratory data, drug- drug and drug-nutrient interactions, monitors for adverse drug effects, and screens for allergies. 8) May performs medication reconciliation at all transitions of care, including updating the medication profile to reflect an accurate, active list of VA and non- VA medications. This may include adding non-VA medications or discontinuing duplicate medications or those the patient is not taking. 9) Assesses drug safety and efficacy, including evaluation of physical symptoms. 10) May reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program. 11) Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program. VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws VA Careers - Physical Therapy: https://youtube.com/embed/Gi2hoFqIoqY VA Careers - Prosthetics: https://youtube.com/embed/3NUvF5jjErQ VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Work Schedule: Tuesday-Friday 10:30am - 9:00PM Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 59895F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Licensure: Applicants must be licensed to practice pharmacy in a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States. 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-12 (or equivalent) Grade Level - In addition to the requirements for the GS-11 (or equivalent) level, applicants must have a minimum of one year of professional pharmacy experience. Preferred Experience: Applicant's qualifications background must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies necessary to perform the work of the position. Pharmacy work requires knowledge of the use, clinical effects, and composition of medications, including their chemical, biological, and physical properties. Qualifying professional pharmacy experience may involve, but is not limited to: Dispensing medications prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and providing information to health practitioners and patients about proper usage of medications and side effects; Evaluating medication use patterns and outcomes for patients in hospitals or managed care organizations; Performing administrative, consultative, or staff advisory work for a medical facility's pharmacy program; Planning, monitoring and evaluating medication programs or regimens; Establishing medication-handling procedures for the storage and preservation of medications; Researching medical literature and/or clinical medication information to provide accurate responses to inquiries; and/or Maintaining all medication records required by law. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Medical Requirements: Applicants must be able to distinguish basic colors.

Education

A doctoral degree in Pharmacy that is recognized by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education(external link) (ACPE) or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. 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/.