Clinical Pharmacist (Inpatient)

Duties include but are not limited to:

Distributive:

• Fills medication orders 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.
• Responsible for 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 to ensure safe and appropriate medication use.
• Responsible for special formulations and for extemporaneous compounding of routine and special medications requiring complex compounding procedures.
• Initiates medication orders for patients per approved protocol established guidelines or provider consultation.
• Responsible for providing care as required to meet patient care needs and to maintain competence in your areas of pharmacy practice.
• Dispenses investigational and research drugs to patients as required in accordance with VA policy.

Clinical Duties:

• Identifies drug-induced problems that may be affecting the patient takes appropriate steps to manage these problems and/or communicates these findings to his/her primary provider (includes drug side effects allergic reactions toxicities dosage regimens and non-compliance concerns).
• Reviews and recommends therapeutic care plans utilizing the most effective least toxic and most economical medication treatments recognizing the special drug considerations of the age and stage of life for the patient and communicates this plan to the patients primary provider.
• Counsels patients and family members concerning directions for use side effects precautions and the need to strictly follow the regimen.
• Monitors patient profiles and ensures information is correct and up-to-date. This may include addition of or correction of documented allergies/ADRs addition of or discontinuation of non-VA medications and discontinuation of orders per current scope of practice.
• Provides consultation to physicians nurses and other health professionals on medication management issues. This may include formal rounds informal rounds formal consults and informal consults and may be verbal telephone or written consultations.
• Applies pharmacokinetics using rate order equations as appropriate to assess serum levels using volumes of distribution and/or renal and hepatic clearances and to make recommendations when necessary.

Education:

• Accurately completes all assignments in a timely manner with independence and minimal guidance personally setting the deadlines for work completion as defined by immediate supervisor or other member of the Pharmacy Management Team. He or she assumes responsibility in work assignments in accordance with regulations and independently and resolves most conflicts by using considerable judgment and interpretation. Work is reviewed to ensure that overall objectives of the position are met.
• Assists in the orientation and training of new pharmacy employees pharmacy residents pharmacy students medical residents medical students attending providers and pharmacy volunteers.
• Functions as a consultant to the medical staff on pharmacotherapeutics pharmacokinetics and toxicology via effective written and oral communication.

Quality Assurance and Improvement:

• Participates in the DUE/MUE process by assisting in; determination of problem areas criteria development analysis and follow-up as deemed appropriate (education review etc.).
• Documents all patient-centered workload according to current VAWNYHS VISN and VACO Pharmacy guidelines.
• Participates in pharmacy efforts to optimize efficiency (testing of new software supporting new technology proposing changes in operations realigning workload etc.)

Administrative:

• Checks guides and advises lower-grade co-workers and trainees on the receipt interpretation compounding and filling of medication orders. Effectively manages and supervises Pharmacy Technicians in their areas of responsibility.
• Verifies and/or corrects medication orders entered in the computer by Providers with the correct Nature of Order and any corresponding documentation as outlined in policy.
• Coordinates and resolves problems associated with medication distribution.
• Analyzes data and completes reports including clinic/ward inspections and chart reviews according to established policy.

Work Schedule: Every other weekend: Friday 7:00am-3:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 7:00am-7:00pm
Monday 7:00am-3:30pm.
Subject to change based on needs of the service.

Functional Statement #: 21L10-A

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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:

• (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: or through their Web site at: (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 2 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.

NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct professional incompetence or substandard care or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct professional incompetence or substandard care are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. 7402(f)). Effective November 30 1999 this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license registration or certification.

• Grandfathering Provision. All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard 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.
• 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)

GRADE REQUIREMENTS

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. 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-time workweek. For example a pharmacist employed 20 4 hours a week or on a 1/2-time basis would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2 the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)
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 or
• Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.

Assignment. A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and national policies and regulations. These include but are not limited to: 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 patients 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.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following 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.

Preferred Experience: Three (3) or more years of inpatient/hospital experience.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit 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: Work is sedentary but also demands standing walking bending twisting and carrying light items.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit