Clinical Pharmacist

Description:

The primary functions include the timely and accurate preparation and dispensing of medications to both inpatients and outpatients. Must exercise professional judgment in matters of appropriate dosing and therapeutic regimes. Rotates through different areas of Pharmacy Service: Outpatient, Inpatient (IV Admixture and Unit dose) and Clinical areas. The primary goal is facilitation of appropriate, safe, and cost effective drug therapy for our patients.

Requirements:

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.

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).

English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Grandfathering Provision . All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of the qualification standard (6/7/2012) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, must meet one of the provisions listed in Licensed Pharmacist Qualification Standard, formerly Part II Appendix G15.

Grade Determinations : GS-11 Pharmacist

• Experience, Education, & Licensure . None beyond the basic requirements.

Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity.

GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist

• Experience or Education . In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following:
  • 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11), or
  • Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) . Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • (1) Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
  • (2) Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
  • (3) Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
  • (4) Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Preferred Experience:

• Inpatient & Outpatient pharmacy experience

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 in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019