Clinical Pharmacist

Summary

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is looking for a Clinical Pharmacy Provider (CPP) /Acute Care that is a licensed professional who works collaboratively - serving as a medication expert in the acute care setting. The CPP functions at the highest level of clinical practice and works independently under his/her scope of practice to directly care for patients. The CPP functions to initiate - modify or discontinue medication therapy under a scope of practice.

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

• a
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• b
• 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)
• c
• 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
• c
• 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
• 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: GS13 (a) Experience
• In addition to the GS-12 requirements - must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• (b) Assignments
• Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• 1
• Clinical Pharmacy Specialist
• 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
• Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following 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
• Preferred Experience: Inpatient pharmacy experience or PGY1 pharmacy residency
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS13
• Physical Requirements: Work requires moderate lifting - walking - bending - stooping - standing - pushing - and pulling.
  
  

Duties

• The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati - OH and Fort Thomas - KY serving 15 counties in Southwest OH - Northern Kentucky - and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue - KY
• Florence - KY
• Lawrenceburg - IN
• Hamilton - OH
• Clermont County - OH - and Georgetown - OH
• The CVAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division
• Duties a
• Clinical: Conducts comprehensive appraisals of patients' health status by taking health and medication histories - documenting relevant findings in the patient's medical record
• Evaluates drug therapy through direct patient care involvement - with clinical assessment and objective findings relating to patient's responses to drug therapy and communicating and documenting those findings and recommendations to appropriate individuals and inappropriate records (i.e. - patient's medical record)
• Evaluates medication orders and medication profiles for appropriateness of therapy - dosage range - synergistic - antagonistic - and cumulative effects - etc. - and communicates questionable situations to the provider when necessary
• Develops and documents therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective - least toxic - and most economical medication treatments
• Orders - performs - reviews - and/or analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy
• Initiates - modifies - or discontinues medications based under a scope of practice
• Assists in the management of medical emergencies - adverse drug reactions - and acute and chronic disease states
• BLS/ACLS certified
• Identifies and takes specific corrective action for drug-induced problems according to protocol
• Orders consults (i.e
• dietician - social work) as appropriate to maximize positive drug therapy outcomes
• Serves as a liaison between Pharmacy Service and the Acute Care areas
• Assists in discharge planning and ensure continuity of care for patients leaving the hospital
• b
• Dispensing: Evaluates and processes physicians' orders for patients in assigned area - clarifying unclear orders with the provider when necessary
• Reviews medication orders for appropriateness - drug selection - dosage - route of administration - and amount prior to dispensing
• Reviews patients' allergy history - drug-drug-drug-nutrient - drug-laboratory - and drug disease state interactions and assesses for clinical relevance
• Provides lead and pharmacist staffing assistance in the Inpatient Pharmacy as schedule by supervisor - including clinical weekend coverage
• d
• Administration: Attends - participates - and contributes as an active member on various Health Systems or VISN committees: Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee - works groups (such as Root Cause Analysis) - task forces - Institutional Review Board - etc
• Participates in various Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) initiatives - including medication usage evaluation (MUE)
• Documents and reports clinical pharmacy interventions - positive patient outcomes - and cost-effective initiatives
• Ensures optimum utilization of all available resources (personnel - fiscal - equipment - space - etc.) Serves as the Acting Associate Chief and provides coverage for other areas in the Inpatient Pharmacy as needed
• Participates in the focused and ongoing professional practice (FPPE & OPPE) evaluation process
• Work Schedule: 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM with occasional weekends
• Telework: Not Authorized
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 91353-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.