Clinical Pharmacist Outpatient

VA Careers - Pharmacy: include but are not limited to:

Clinical: The primary function of a clinical pharmacist is to assure the safe and appropriate use of medications and be an advocate of rational drug therapy through the following list of example activities:
1. Participates in all tasks related to medication preparation and dispensing.
2. 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.
3. 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 and retrospective review and intervention in:
i. Therapeutic appropriateness of a patients drug regimen
ii. Therapeutic duplication in the patients drug regimen
iii. Appropriateness of the route and method of administration
iv. Degree of patient compliance with the prescribed drug regimen
v. Drug-drug drug-food drug-laboratory or drug-disease interactions
vi. Allergies
vii. Clinical and pharmacokinetic laboratory data to evaluate the efficacy of drug therapy and to anticipate side effects toxicity or adverse effects
viii. Physical signs and clinical symptoms relevant to the patients drug therapy
4. Provides medication counseling to patients.
5. Conducts comprehensive appraisals of patients health status by completing 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 the medication reconciliation process in accordance with facility processes:
i. Pharmacists under a scope of practice (CPP): when acting as a provider the CPP will complete a medication reconciliation 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.
ii. Pharmacists not under a scope of practice: when NOT acting as a provider pharmacists will participate in the medication reconciliation process. This may include a medication history identifying discrepancies coordinating with the care team to review discrepancies processing medication orders and providing patient medication education.
8. Assesses drug safety and efficacy including evaluation of physical symptoms.
9. Reports adverse drug events (ADE) near misses and medication errors. Documents findings according to service/facility procedures.
10. Participates in the medical center medication utilization evaluation (MUE) program.
11. May complete non-formulary and medication approval consults. Recommends formulary alternatives when appropriate. Reviews orders for compliance with VA Criteria for Use and non-formulary drug restrictions.
12. Implements VA medical facility policies including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions (e.g. Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee activities).
13. Manages recalls and medication shortage situations by substituting alternate dosage strengths and instructions of the same medication to equal the prescribed dose and schedule.
14. Enters supply orders to support medication compliance and accurate medication administration (e.g. syringes needles tablet splitters) in accordance with VA medical facility policy.
15. Manages various actions as appropriate for medication orders to include: flagging prescriptions managing view alerts using the hold medication function etc.
16. Extends refills until next scheduled appointment under the providers name per facility policy.
17. Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents.
18. Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational in-services to nursing medical staff or to other ancillary services.
19. The pharmacist is responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature new drugs and therapies and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday rotating tours weekends and holidays
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.

• 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.

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. NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d).