Duties

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (HVAMC), under the Pharmacy Service Line, and will directly care for patients within Inpatient Mental Health, or other areas as assigned.

The Mental Health CPS provider manages medication therapy by initiating, modifying, and discontinuing medication both independently and in collaboration with other practitioners when needed. The CPS will directly care for patients served in the inpatient mental health unit or other areas as assigned. The CPS will assist with the development of individualized treatment plans, while providing evidence-based drug therapy recommendations to the multidisciplinary team. Core activities include comprehensive medication histories and medication reconciliation, team rounds, therapeutic drug level monitoring, anticoagulation management and counseling patients to improve patients' compliance with treatment plans. Other duties include routine pharmacy dispensing activities, formulary reviews, precepting duties, staff education, and committee involvement.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.

Telework: Ad Hoc Telework MAY be available

Virtual: This is not a remote or virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Contact Tonya.Searby@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
You may be required to serve a probationary period.
Subject to background/security investigation.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Regulations.

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.

English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Regulations.

Grandfathering Provision. 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).

Preferred Education/Experience

Candidates for the Mental Health CPS position should possess the skills outlined above with specific experience in the management of mental health. Candidates should have recent experience in a current or previous job (including residency training) that includes direct patient care and comprehensive medication management responsibilities. Preferred candidates will have an advanced pharmacy degree (PharmD), board certification (BPS), PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency, or equivalent experience or mentorship.

Grade Requirements

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, GS-13

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

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

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.

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.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15, Licensed Pharmacist Qualification Standard, June 7, 2012. Available in the Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings. Use of fingers may be required to operate computers. There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another, equipment and room set-up, and ambulation related to physical inspections of the facilities.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional Information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

USAJOBS

New Jobs

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Inpatient Mental Health)