This position serves as a Clinical Pharmacist at the Edward Hines, Jr Hospital, 5000 S 5th Ave, Hines, IL 60141 within the Pharmacy 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: (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.) (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, 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). (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED) 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. (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED) Grade Requirements: In addition to the Basic Requirements above, you must meet the following: GS-13 Experience: In addition to the basic requirements have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled which includes but 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 in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; Documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); Assisting in medical emergencies; providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the Grade Requirements above, you must demonstrate the following: 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 program area or area of clinical expertise. Expert knowledge of a 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: VA PACT CPP experience or equivalent. PGY-1 and/or PGY-2 Ambulatory Care setting. Pharmacy specialty board certification. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. VA Handbook 5005/55 Part II, Appendix G15, Licensed Pharmacist, Qualification Standard GS-660, Veterans Health Administration. June 2012 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. ["VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws The Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) serves as a mid-level practitioner with prescribing privileges with the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The PACT CPP functions at the highest level of clinical pharmacy practice to provide Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) in the outpatient primary care practice settings. Duties Include: Functions as a mid-level practitioner to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas. Orders, performs, and interprets the physical measurements necessary to monitor, support, and modify the patient's medication therapy. Ordering and prescribing medications, vaccines, devices, and supplies to include to initiation, continuation, discontinuation, monitoring, and/or altering therapy. Conducts virtual and in-person (when appropriate) encounters with patients for CMM in the PACT practice area. Follows-up with patients in a timely manner and monitors for drug therapy response, potential adverse drug reactions, allergies, adherence, laboratory results, and other monitoring measures as appropriate; treatment plan adjustments are made accordingly based on assessed measures Utilizes motivational interview skills with patient, family, caregiver, and other healthcare professionals to collect patient-specific data, conduct medication history, and identify additional data needed for medication review assessment and medication reconciliation. Ensures appropriate care coordination during transitions of care (changes in levels of care, shift changes, etc.) as well as throughout the discharge process, as indicated. Effectively instructs patients and family members in the appropriate use of medications and medical devices. Incumbent adjusts communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations. Accurately assesses and documents patient comprehension. Refers patients to educational programs provided at the medical center by multidisciplinary teams. Assists in medical emergencies and high-risk scenarios, when applicable. The PACT CPP ensures appropriate selection of medications, dosages, and administration, and provides recommendation on routes and dosages for alternatives medications if warranted. Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. Utilizes VAADERs Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting system to monitor and report drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Enters and documents medication errors or findings in the medication reporting system. Documents pharmaceutical care plan and interventions performed in electronic health record and/or facility specific programs in accordance with policies and facility by-laws. Apply knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognizes significant abnormalities, and makes dose adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs for appropriateness and compliance with established criteria where applicable and as assigned. Responsible for processing all electronic orders for assigned team as requested or needed including verifying patient information, correct medication dose, route, and frequency of administration. All orders are checked for patient allergies, drug interactions, incompatibilities, duplication, and priority. Identifies, interprets, and resolves prescribing and dispensing issues, including pharmacotherapeutics and the formulary. Documents interventions within the specified timeframe if applicable. Dispenses controlled substances with accuracy according to current policies and procedures. Serves as a preceptor for students, PGY-1, and PGY-2 residents at Hines VA Hospital and maintains preceptor qualifications that aligns with American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) and set forth by the residency program director. Serves as an advocate for the pharmacy profession and educates team members on PACT and CPP processes. Work with other health care providers to develop programs for improvement of drug use. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00AM - 4:30PM Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
