Summary

This intermittent position is located in Pharmacy Service - Boise VA Medical Center in Boise - ID. The primary responsibility is coordination and provision of inpatient clinical pharmacy services to patients and staff of the Boise VAMC.

Qualifications

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
• 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.) Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the 2 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
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d)
• GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Grade Determinations: Experience:
• In addition to the GS-12 requirements - must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• Knowledge - Skills - and abilities: 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Physical demands include the following: repetitive motion activities requiring the use of hands and fingers for extensive keyboarding - to open and close medication bottles and vials - compounding IV sterile products - sitting or standing for extended periods of time - easily walking around all areas of the pharmacy and Medical Center.

Duties

• Duties include but are not limited to the following: Responsible for conducting direct patient-care activities that are performed with the efficiency and depth of an experienced adult medicine pharmacist
• This includes designing - recommending - monitoring - and evaluating patient-specific pharmacotherapy for internal medicine patients residing in the Intensive Care Unit - General Medical and Surgical Units - and other patient care areas
• Works under an advanced scope of practice to manage acute care disease states - including anticoagulation - antibiotic monitoring - IV to oral conversion - and others
• May work under an advanced scope of practice in the pharmacy-run disease state management clinics - managing ambulatory care conditions - including prescribing appropriate therapies - ordering laboratory testing - and monitoring patients for follow-up
• Maintains Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification - and functions as director of a code in the absence of an attending physician - as well as supporting the ACLS team by providing medication support as needed during a code situation
• Provides overall coordination of clinical pharmacy services for the inpatient population including collaboration with other health care professionals to provide direct clinical patient care
• Coordinates activities and interacts with pharmacists supplementing and supporting their activities as workload/time dictates
• Completes pharmacy clinical and dispensing services for the Community Living Center (CLC) and discharge services when the CLC or discharge pharmacist is not present
• Manages patients through chart review - rounding and order processing as requested by providers and provide pharmaceutical care to patients referred to specific pharmacy care services
• Designs - monitors - and documents medication regimen changes according to scope of practice - calculates and monitors medication pharmacokinetics - makes and recommends dose adjustments - and orders laboratory tests
• Serves as an authoritative consultant and advisor to physicians - nurses - and other health care professionals in the cardiology unit for education on how to dose - order - and infuse specialty cardiology medications
• Monitors labs - medication use - review charts and renew orders or provide new recommendations when necessary through scope of practice guidelines
• Designs - monitors - and documents appropriate electrolytes for total parenteral nutrition (TPN) based on clinical knowledge and patient factors
• Reconciles medication list(s) for patients having recently undergone a transition in care
• Serves as an authoritative consultant and advisor to physicians - nurses - and other health care professionals concerning the use of formulary - investigational - and clinical trial drugs
• Completes Non-Formulary Drug (NFD) Consults and enters appropriate medications in electronic ordering system
• Possesses a thorough and complete knowledge of the interpretation and compounding of unit dose - intravenous admixture - and outpatient orders and their application in this health care system
• Assists in maintenance and functionality of pharmacy automation including packaging and dispensing machines
• Provides informal and formal instruction to medical center health providers on therapeutic drug questions
• Precepts pharmacy residents and interns
• Responsible for maintenance of the unit dose and ward stock distribution systems and certification that all drugs are stored - labeled - and properly dispensed
• Coordinates activities of pharmacy technicians involved in filling of unit dose carts
• Effectively collaborates with staff members of all professional disciplines and services as consultant regarding pharmaceutical problems - and pharmacy operating policies and procedures
• Works with the Chief of Pharmacy to change procedures when necessary
• Reports inventory needs to the Procurement Section to assist in the timely and cost effective retrieval of patient medication needs
• Routinely informs the Chief of Pharmacy or his designee of any problems concerning the cost impact of prescribing patterns and offers recommendations to correct these problems
• Evaluates and documents reported adverse drug effects
• Work Schedule: Variable Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 02394O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized