Clinical Pharmacist (Inpatient Pharmacy)

Summary

The pharmacist works primarily within the inpatient and satellite inpatient pharmacies focusing on inpatient care and clinic and procedural area order verification. The pharmacist integrates knowledge and skills of pharmacists and technicians into the distributive and clinical processes of providing outcome-driven pharmaceutical care to Veterans.

Duties

• This position is for a graveyard tour. Therefore, only seeking candidates interested in the specified tour of duty as listed below. The inpatient pharmacist will ensure all local, VHA, DEA, and other regulatory body policies and regulations are adhered to; review and monitor drug therapy; provide professional advice and consultative services; educate peers, patients, and families; document care in the medical record; and continually integrate new knowledge and technology to improve the quality of pharmaceutical care provided to Veterans. Functions or scope of duty include: Clinical Promote pharmaceutical care service to Veterans in medical center clinics and on inpatient wards. Provide prescription dispensing and controlled substance and high-cost drug accountability. Review, interpret, and verify medication orders for clinical appropriateness; collaborate with the providers at the front end of the prescription order process to improve patient outcomes; review patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record for appropriate drug selection, dosing, contraindications, and potential interactions; contact providers as appropriate. Collaborate with providers regarding medication therapy including anticoagulation management, renal dose adjustment, pharmacokinetic monitoring and dose adjustment; pain management; electrolyte and glycemic management; parenteral nutrition management; IV to PO conversions, sedation/analgesia management; and antimicrobial stewardship i.e. vancomycin per pharmacy. Complete medication reconciliation upon admission, transfer, and discharge, ensuring the patient's medication profile is updated and document appropriate transitions in care. Provide medication counseling and verify patient understanding of the medication, its intended purpose, proper use, expected outcomes, and how to obtain refills/renewals. Promote cost effective utilization of formulary medications and supplies and participate in cost savings initiatives. Participate in quality improvement and patient safety programs including patient incident and adverse event reporting, medication use evaluations, drug alerts, drug recalls, drug shortage mitigation, pharmacy related clinical performance measures, and other projects related to patient outcomes. Discontinue duplicate prescription(s) received at other VA sites and notify other VA sites when appropriate (due to prescription duplication). Assist in medical emergencies by participating in code blue events. Education Train, educate, and precept pharmacy residents and/or pharmacy students. Educate coworkers, medical students, residents, nursing, and other professional staff. Educate patients, family, and caregivers on issues relating to drug therapy. Distribute and communicate drug information to peers and other health care providers. Administrative Provide support to and oversight of technical staff in aspects of medication distribution. When assigned, serve as Pharmacist-in-Charge in the absence of a supervisor to ensure continuity of patient care and pharmacy operations. Assist with the development of quality and safety improvement initiatives and the collection and analysis of data. Assist with the development of policies and procedures that help streamline drug distribution processes. Research Assist with development and implementation of pharmacy-based, patient-focused research studies. Dispense and maintain accountability records for investigational drugs as needed. Provide investigational drug information to medical, nursing, and other professional staff. Conduct investigational drug patient counseling when appropriate. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: 4 x 10 hour shifts, Saturday - Tuesday, 10:00pm to 8:00am with occasional holidays. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (1…

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S. Code 7407). 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. (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. 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. 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. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-11 Pharmacist Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. NOTE: See exception to licensure requirement above. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level). Experience. 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 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…

Education

IMPORTANT: This position has a positive education or training requirement. An unofficial copy of college transcripts showing completion of the required degree or program is required and must include the name of the school, your name, date conferred or completed, and degree or certificate type. 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/.