Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Pharmacogenomics)

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist practices the majority of their time in the Pharmacogenomics (PGx) clinical practice setting. The Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) is responsible for the incorporation of Pharmacogenomic targeted drug therapies across multiple clinical specialties. They work under an advanced Scope of Practice and works independently as a Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner in Pharmacogenomics.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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:

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• 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
  • (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.

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 (Pharmacogenomics)

Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

In addition to the experience listed above, 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.

Assignment. 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.

Preferred Experience: Completion of a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency (ideally a PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency), advanced training (eg. certification, fellowship, etc.) and experience in Pharmacogenomics (PGx). Experience working in direct patient care with a scope of practice ideally as a hematology/oncology clinical pharmacy or mental health clinical pharmacy specialist. Experience providing academic detailing and/or educational outreach to improve prescribing targeted drugs. Excellent virtual care and communication skills.

References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15, June 7, 2012

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 lbs. and over), moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 lbs.), light lifting (under 15 lbs.), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands, standing, repeated bending, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing (aid may be permitted), and mental & emotional stability. Environmental factors include constant noise, dust, extensive use of keyboard/mouse, working closely with others, working alone, and protracted or irregular hours of work.

Responsibilities:

Clinical - Direct Patient Care Activities:

• Perform basic physical assessments to obtain objective information needed to assess the safety and efficacy of the Veteran's medications along with their disease state.
• Prescribes, monitors, and adjusts medications related to PGx management.
• Obtains pertinent medical history and obtains accurate medication related history and PGx family history from patient and via chart review.
• Orders PGx testing when indicated to aid in the process of medication and dosage selection or deprescribing.
• Monitors, and interprets pharmacogenomic results and other needed labs; implements follow up on treatment actions as clinically indicated.
• Evaluates third party pharmacogenomic testing results to determine clinical validity and utility for the Veteran served.
• Utilizes race-agnostic PGx dosing guidelines and algorithms in accordance with PharmGKB statement on eliminating race-based medicine.
• Identifies and reconciles drug-gene, drug-gene-disease, and drug-drug-gene interactions.
• Ensures PGx testing and test results are handled in an ethical manner---also considering social and legal implications---and that patients are provided access to their genetic data when applicable.
• Designs patient-specific medication and dosage regimens based on a person's PGx profile and other pertinent factors.
• Provides resources and education that empower patients to make informed healthcare decisions about undergoing PGx testing and understanding their test results.

Clinical - Indirect Patient Care Activities:

• Facilitates the creation of pharmacist-led specialty PGx services using either consult, e-consult, or care coordination agreement (CCA) functionality.
• Monitors and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures and in accordance with the VAADERS Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting program.
• Reviews relevant population management dashboards to identify patients who may benefit from engagement in care for PGx testing, management, and/or risk mitigation.
• Provides input and recommendations as the PGx subject matter expert during routine patient care planning or targeted complex or high-risk reviews.

Program Management:

• Educates healthcare professionals using academic detailing frameworks about PGx principles and appropriate indications and contra-indications for cost-effective PGx testing.
• Provides resources and education that empower patients to make informed healthcare decisions about undergoing PGx testing and understanding their test result.
• Participates in the appropriate, effective, and safe use of pharmaceuticals by contributing to criteria development, data collection, quality assurance and drug use evaluation and other quality improvement activities for core practice area(s) medication use and PGx.
• Assists in the facilitation, evaluation, and implementation of existing, nationally available, PGx programs as an integral part of medication therapy if the program is not available locally.
• Administratively manage the PGx pharmacist train the trainer program tracking activity and reporting these data to PGx National.

Administrative:

• Attends team meetings, conferences, and other activities as required for the purpose of making recommendations and providing consultation in PGx medication related matters.
• Works with multidisciplinary teams to develop, implement, evaluate, and update PGx standard operating procedures, CPRS order sets, menus, and quick orders to promote best practice care.
• Collaborates with pharmacy supervisors, leadership, and staff to develop processes for more efficient prescription processing and formulary management within pharmacy service and specialty areas of practice.
• Participates in various continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives including PGx medication use evaluation (MUE) and the collection and analysis of data to ensure appropriate, safe and cost-effective medication utilization.

Educational:

• Verifies that the Veteran, their family members and/or caregivers understanding medication related information provided during clinical encounters by utilizing open-ended questions.
• Provide one-on-one and group education to local providers on medication use and application of PGx.
• Acts as a clinical preceptor and mentor for VA Puget Sound PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residents and Doctor of Pharmacy students.

Research:

• Participates in design and/or completion of research studies and/or quality improvement projects involving drug therapy, clinical pharmacy functions, or improvements in patient care.
• Directs and/or participates in the preparation of articles for publication

Work Schedule: 8AM - 4:30PM, Monday - Friday
Telework: Available (Ad-hoc)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required