Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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
• 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
• (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program
• Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy)
• [TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION] 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)
• [YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF FPGEE AND TOEFL WITH YOUR APPLICATION] 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
• [YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF CURRENT LICENSE WITH THE APPLICATION PACKAGE]
• Creditable Experience
• 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
• 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) 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
• 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:Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist) - GS-13 (a) Experience
• In addition to the basic requirements - candidates must meet one of the following: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS12) (b) Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge - skills and abilities (KSAs): a
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions
• b
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area
• c
• Ability to solve problems - coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise
• d
• Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy
• e
• Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies - including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13
• Physical Requirements: Reference VA Directive and Handbook 5019

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws VA Palo Alto Health Care System has an immediate opening for an Overnight Shift Inpatient Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at the Palo Alto campus
• This pharmacist will work EITHER 7 days on and then has 7 days off (in a two week pay period) OR 4 days per week of 10 hour shifts OR 5 days per week of 8 hour shifts
• There is overlap with the evening shift pharmacists and the next day shift pharmacists
• The inpatient setting consists of a 300-bed acute care hospital division with specialties in Medicine - Surgery - Emergency Room - Psychiatry - Spinal Cord Injury - Intensive Care - Sub Acute - Hospice - Nursing Home Care - and Geriatric Medicine - with centralized operation for Unit Dose and Sterile Compounding
• The incumbent performs clinical functions independently and maintains a scope of practice for inpatient clinical duties
• We have a fully integrated computer system including online provider order entry - documentation of medication administration using barcode technology - and automation of the unit dose distribution system
• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Direct Patient Care Activities: prescribing (initiating - adjusting - discontinuing drug therapy) in accordance with the granted scope of practice
• The scope of practice includes: anticoagulation - pharmacokinetic dosing of antimicrobials and other medications requiring renal/hepatic dose adjustments - conversions between dosage forms (IV to PO - tablets/capsules to solutions - etc.) - and substance use disorder treatment (naloxone - smoking cessation products - etc.)
• Clinical Activities: screening and verifying medication orders
• making drug therapy recommendations
• monitoring and assessing medication effects
• documenting clinical activities
• adverse drug reaction reporting - renal and hepatic screening - medication reconciliation - and Code Blue management
• Education/Training Activities: providing education to physicians and nursing staff
• providing education to patients and caregivers about medications and side effect management
• providing training to pharmacy trainees (PGY1 pharmacy residents and pharmacy students)
• Represent Pharmacy on various healthcare system wide committees and projects as assigned
• Distributive Activities: checking inpatient and outpatient medication orders filled by pharmacy technicians
• overseeing the technicians to ensure distributive duties are met in a timely manner
• following up on missing doses
• and assisting nursing - providers and patients as needed
• Work Schedule: Shifts may vary but will be scheduled during overnight hours - may include Weekday - Weekend - & Holiday Coverage Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 06719F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact V21CCOEEDRP@VA.GOV - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized