Pharmacist - Clinical Specialist (Pain Management)

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Pain Management) functions as a therapeutic expert in drug use and drug utilization. The incumbent monitors drug use, makes recommendations on the correct utilization of drugs, exercises duties as outlined in their scope of practice and educates medical center staff and providers on drug utilization. This position is located at our East Orange NJ campus.

Duties

The duties include (but are not limited to): Working in close collaboration with the VISN, Facility Pain POC, Facility Pain Champion, Academic Detailing pharmacists, the Pain Management Team (PMT)/Pain Clinic team members, and other facility stakeholders. Supporting a high functioning Pain Committee that includes stakeholders from across the facility, and supporting subcommittees, task forces/work groups as indicated. Developing processes/procedures to ensure implementation and compliance with national policy related to pain management, opioid safety and risk mitigation strategies, Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND), management of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), initiatives in compliance with national policy, clinical practice guidelines, and regulatory requirements. Supporting review of community provider opioid prescribing practices as required by the MISSION Act Section 131. Supporting OSI reviews, data-based risk reviews for opioid-exposed patients (including Stratification Tool for Opioid Risk Mitigation (STORM) data-based reviews), and other interdisciplinary pain care forums. Supporting and tracking full implementation of the Stepped Care Model for Pain Management (SCM-PM), including a high functioning PMT/Pain Clinic at the facility, and access to tertiary pain center within the VISN including a CARF-accredited interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program. Facilitating implementation of the OUD stepped care model within the facility, in particular for Step 1 of the Stepped Care for Opioid Use Disorder Train-the-Trainer (SCOUTT) program expansion, e.g., within PMTs/Pain Clinics. Supporting access to tertiary advanced diagnostic and therapeutic interventional pain care modalities. Supporting access to integrative health modalities. Supporting and facilitating veteran outreach events, inclusive of women's health initiatives for pain management. Identifying opioid safety improvement and risk mitigation opportunities for facility leadership and developing strategic planning efforts in accordance with VA policy, inclusive of, but not limited to PDMP compliance, urine drug screening, and establishing population management processes for targeted risk mitigation. Collaborating to evaluate acute pain care prescribing and processes at the facility and leading improvement opportunities. Tracking facility level dashboards regarding pain management, opioid safety, and PDMP, including key parameters such as access, productivity, workload, and staffing. Measuring and reporting quality and compliance outcomes related to pain management, opioid safety, and PDMP. Partnering with Academic Detailing and other stakeholders to monitor and disseminate best clinical practices related to PMOP initiatives. Participates in VISN Pain Committee/Community of Practice meetings and other VISN directed activities as appropriate. Facilitating facility responses to formal, sensitive inquiries related to pain and opioid safety per patient reported concerns as presented by Patient Advocacy, Executive Leadership, VISN, Congressional, or others. Expert and consultant to the Chief of Pharmacy Service for medication related issues in the Opioid/Pain Management setting. Provides medication reconciliation and acts as the primary liaison between pharmacy service and the Pain Management Service. Provides education and orientation to the medical staff and other health care professionals on pharmacy policies and procedures regarding medication use. Actively participates as a member of the team to assist in monitoring patients therapy as directly related to pharmaceutical care. Assures that all prescriptions and actions meet proper eligibility criteria on a patient specific basis and that the National Formulary and Non-Formulary procedures are followed. This includes adherence to all National, VISN, or local criteria or the use of treatment algorithms. Responsible for assuring the safety and efficacy of the medication use process in the area assigned by reporting adverse drug effects, medication errors, and other quality issues. Monitors medication use for appropriate drug selection and dose based on the clinical condition of the patient and diagnosis. Initiates and makes dosage adjustments based on clinical evaluation. Performs physical assessment and uses laboratory data to support drug therapy recommendations and dosage adjustments. Regularly reviews lab results to assess effectiveness of therapy and to monitor for adverse events. Orders laboratory tests as required. Functions as therapeutic expert in drug use within the Pain patient population by making recommendations for drug selection. Additional duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Variable, Rotating Shift Telework: Eligible for telework on an Ad-Hoc basis only. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21T11O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

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. 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. Creditable Experience Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board. Residency and Fellowship Training. Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for- year basis. The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health- System Pharmacists (ASHP). A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination). Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination. Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-ti