Clinical Pharmacist Outpatient

Veterans Health Administration • Iowa City, IA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist serves primarily in the outpatient pharmacy area and provides a wide range of professional pharmacy services. The Outpatient Clinical Pharmacist's (CP) principal duties include providing innovative and progressive clinical pharmacy services for outpatient primary care clinics, outpatient specialty clinics and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

Requirements

• 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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
• Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Nice To Haves

• The CP may be granted a scope of practice with limited prescriptive authority.
• 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).
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Interpretation, evaluation, and approval of medication orders.
• Therapeutic drug monitoring.
• Evaluating and monitoring laboratory tests.
• Interpreting health record data for the purpose of assessing the suitability of medication orders.
• Accurately dispensing medications in a timely manner.
• Providing drug information to other health professionals.
• Counseling patients on medication use and storage.
• Reconciling medications.
• Solving routine problems.
• Communicating findings and recommendations to other healthcare professionals.
• Medication management/prior authorization.
• Pharmacy informatics.
• Performance improvement.
• Medication use evaluations.
• Quality control.
• Precepting pharmacy students and pharmacy residents.
• Assisting with pharmacist and technician staff development through education, orientation, and training programs.
• Treat patients, team members, other facility employees and visitors with dignity and respect.
• Respond to the needs of the Veteran and staff in a courteous and timely manner.
• Demonstrate appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service.
• Act as a team member and always support the team's efforts.
• Demonstrate an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality of services provided.
• Order, perform, review, and analyze appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy.
• Review, interpret, evaluate, and approve patient medication orders and regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, route of administration, side effects, potential drug interactions, appropriate monitoring, and therapeutic outcomes as required.
• Communicate findings with prescribers and provide appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed.
• Monitor and report drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues.
• Document findings per facility procedures.
• Apply knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognize abnormalities and the clinical significance of abnormalities, and make therapeutic adjustment recommendations based on objective laboratory findings.
• Maintain competency in medication compounding, including appropriate preparation, stability, handling, beyond use dating, and disposal.
• Maintain competence in all operational aspects of outpatient pharmacy service, including all electronic medical record software, automation, labeling, packaging, dispensing, shipping, documentation, controlled substance accountability, inventory management, and Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) procedures.
• Supervise pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students in performance of any operational functions.
• Ensure workload is completed in a timely manner and prioritize tasks both personally and pharmacy wide to provide the most efficient and timely delivery service.
• Effectively communicate these priorities to pharmacy staff.
• Ensure accurate and timely dispensing and shipping of pharmaceuticals to meet patient care needs.
• Maintain own professional competency by keeping abreast of information on new medications, current pharmacotherapy guidelines, innovations in pharmacy practice, and integrating this information into practice.
• Completes, in a timely fashion, all VA-mandated educational and training programs for pharmacy staff to help meet departmental and health system-wide goals and objectives.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.
• Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level