Clinical Pharmacist Prior Authorization Drug Request (PADR)

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


Clinical Practice:

• Performs clinical reviews and adjudicates prior authorization drug requests promoting safe cost-effective and optimal medication use.
• Assessing and monitoring the outcome of drug therapies including interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
• Expert knowledge in multiple areas of clinical pharmacy practice such as oncology hematology rheumatology neurology dermatology infectious disease transplant emergency medicine among other clinical areas.
• Maintains professional competencies of information on new drugs clinical innovations in pharmacy practice completes continuing education and integrates this information into his/her daily clinical practice.
• Evaluates medications for appropriateness and drug interactions allergies and adverse reactions and duplicate therapy.
• Provides appropriate patient counseling. Inquires about side effects and patient questions for prescriptions. Evaluates patients ability to understand instructions. Provides verbal and written instructions to promote patient medication adherence as appropriate.
• Provides direction to other healthcare providers on formulary management questions.
• Serves as a professional advocate for advancement of pharmacy services.

• 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.

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.
• 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. 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: 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. 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.
  • 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.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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.