Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

• 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 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.

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:
  • (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. (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 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.

Creditable Experience

(1) 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.

(2) 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).

(3) 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.

(4) 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 hours a week or on a 1/2-time basis would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.


*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).

Grade Determinations:GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist:

Experience:

In addition to the GS-12 requirements must have 1-year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Clinical Pharmacist Specialist (GS-13): The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes but is not limited to the following: designing implementing assessing monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients providers and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy.

In addition Pharmacists assigned to this position must also demonstrate the following knowledge skills and abilities (KSAs):

• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical management decisions.
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area.
• Ability to solve problems coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise
• Expert knowledge of specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy
• Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters

Preferred Experience: PGY1/PGY2 preferably within VA or experience in primary care medication management

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: Work requires moderate lifting walking bending stooping standing pushing and pulling. Ability to lift/push/pull light loads carts weighing 40 pounds or more. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination. Normal range for hearing and vision.