Summary

The Clinical Pharmacists will be responsible for all veterans receiving care on an inpatient ward - ICU - O.R. - day surgery - dialysis unit - x-ray - GI lab - Cardiac Cath. lab - CLC - and the emergency department at the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs.

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:

• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d)
• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States
• Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• 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: 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
• GRADE DETERMINATIONS GS-12 Experience and Education: One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level - or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program
• Knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs.) Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff
• Knowledge of laws - regulations - and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security
• Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies - including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters
• 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)
• Preferred Experience: Inpatient Pharmacy
• BCPS
• ASHP PGY1 Residency
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

• Customer Service Treats patient - team members - other facility employees and visitors with respect
• Responds to the needs of the service in a courteous and timely manner
• Demonstrates appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service
• Acts as a team member and is supportive of the group's efforts at all times
• Demonstrates an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality
• Clinical The clinical pharmacist provides appropriate recommendations for the selection of drug therapy based upon the pharmaceutical principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
• monitoring for efficacy - side effects - toxicity - adverse effects - and clinical outcomes
• and advises prescribers as appropriate
• Provides consultation for patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring
• Communicates relevant findings and/or recommendations - both orally and in writing - to other pharmacists and health care providers in charge of the patient
• Monitoring will include prospective review and intervention in: Pharmacokinetic consultation for dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides Management of anticoagulation therapy - including lab monitoring and dosage adjustments based on current medical center policy
• Therapeutic appropriateness of a patient's overall drug regimen Appropriateness of the route and method of administration- Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patient's drug therapy Performs continuous evaluation of prescribed medications to assure optimal drug therapy
• Completes medication histories including patient interviews
• Serves as a drug information resource by providing up-to-date drug information to prescribers - other health care professionals - patients and caregivers
• Participates in patient care rounds - reviews charts - evaluates pertinent laboratory data - drug-drug and drug-nutrient interactions - monitors for adverse drug effects - and screens for allergies
• 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
• Assesses drug safety and efficacy - including evaluation of physical symptoms
• Reports adverse drug events (ADE) - near misses - and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS reporting program
• Recommends formulary alternatives and completes non-formulary consults as assigned
• Participates in medical emergencies including code teams (if BLS or ACLS certified) and emergency preparedness activities
• Provides pharmacokinetic consultation - including dosing vancomycin and aminoglycosides - in accordance with local policy
• Implements P&T Committee policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions to include appropriate patient and provider education
• Facilitates pharmacy service policies and procedures to manage recalls and medication shortage situations - including substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule
• Enters supply orders appropriate for patient care per facility policy
• Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the provider's name per facility policy
• Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents
• Dispensing Reviews all medication orders for appropriateness - drug selection - dosage - route of administration and the amount - prior to dispensing
• Ensures all medication orders are entered into the electronic patient medical record
• Fills all orders in a timely fashion
• review of the patient's allergy history - drug-drug - drug-nutrient - drug-laboratory and drug-disease state interactions and assessment for clinical relevance should be performed and dealt with appropriately
• Reviews medication profiles and monitors for compliance or potential abuse
• problems encountered shall be resolved
• Selects - compounds - dispenses and fills a range of drugs including extemporaneous preparations - special formulations - ophthalmics (subconjunctival and intravitreal injections) - narcotics - investigational drugs - oncologic agents - etc. - in both outpatient and inpatient areas
• Adequate quality assurance procedures shall be followed as applicable
• Maintains adequate drug stock - inspects drug storage areas - supervises pre-packing and the operation of automated dispensing equipment
• Supervises the activities of support personnel
• Ensures drugs dispensed are completely and correctly labeled and packaged in full compliance with Federal rules and regulations
• Work Schedule: 0700-1530 M-F with rotating nights - overnight - weekend - and holiday Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 554-55649-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized