Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Pain Management

Summary

The Pain Management Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) assists the pain clinic / and primary care providers in co-managing high risk patients treated with opioids for chronic, non-malignant pain. This position requires specialization in drug therapy management and monitoring in patients with chronic pain

Duties

• Major duties include, but are not limited to: Monitors medication therapy for pain management in chronic pain, including initial assessment of new patients (initiates patient agreements, chart review, takes history, orders and evaluates lab tests, medication reconciliation) and follow-up of patients in clinics. Makes recommendations to other team members to optimize drug therapy, prevent and manage adverse drug events, and reduce medication errors. Provides drug information to physicians, nurses, trainees, and other health care professionals. Participate in interdisciplinary care conferences (SCAN-ECHO) related to the Pain Management program. Promotes rational pain management strategies utilizing current VA resources and the development of pain management protocols. Provide patients and family members with information about their medication regimen, and counsels them on appropriate use and expected adverse effects. Supervise and precepts pharmacy residents and students as assigned. Present lectures and conferences to medical, nursing, and pharmacy staff and students concerning pain medication therapy. Participate in pharmacy research and supports medical center human research involving drugs. Assist in coordinating staff and resident research projects, presentations, and publications. Act as a liaison between the Pain Management program, primary care providers, and the outpatient pharmacy. Participate in quality improvement activities related to assessing the effectiveness of pain management services. Conduct pharmacoeconomic analysis of unrelieved pain (prolonged length of stay, unanticipated outpatient visits). Ensure appropriate medication use of high-cost drugs through non-formulary reviews. Performs drug utilization reviews to monitor prescribing practices. Member of the Washington DC VA pain management committee. Evaluates physician orders as to appropriateness based on the patient's medication profile, inputs information into the computer system, and dispenses medications and supplies. Clarifies new medication orders with physicians and nurses. Adhere to all medical center and department policies and regulations. Treat patient, team members, other facility employees and visitors with respect. Responds to the needs of the service in a courteous and timely manner. Demonstrate appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service. Acts as a team member and is supportive of the group's efforts at all times. Demonstrates an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carrie…

Qualifications

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. 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: (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.) or 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. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). 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. Must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level* (GS-12).*Examples of duties at the GS-12 include, but are not limited to: 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; 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 patient's 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. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and 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 progr…

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.