Clinical Pharmacist - Inpatient

Veterans Health Administration • Iowa City, IA

11h • Onsite

About The Position

The staff pharmacist practices at a high clinical level, providing direct patient care independently within an individual scope of practice and advising medical and surgical teams on appropriate pharmacotherapy. The pharmacist rotates among inpatient medical and surgical service care teams, providing comprehensive medication management and pharmacy services for complex patients in acute care. The role also provides pharmaceutical and operational support for procedures and treatments in ICVAHCS clinics, including community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs).

The pharmacist designs, implements, assesses, monitors, and documents therapeutic plans, selecting clinically appropriate and cost-effective medication treatments to support patient-centered outcomes. The role includes direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams; ordering and interpreting laboratory tests and other clinical data; reviewing medication histories and reconciling discrepancies; monitoring for medication effects and adverse events; counseling patients about medication changes and discharge treatment plans; reviewing and approving medication orders; dispensing medications; and precepting pharmacy residents and students.

The position also includes pharmacy operations responsibilities, such as maintaining competence in sterile and hazardous compounding and pharmacy systems, supervising technicians and students during operational work, and prioritizing workload to ensure timely service. The work schedule is full-time, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with rotating nights, weekends, and holidays. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• Graduate of an ACPE-accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and/or Doctor of Pharmacy degree; foreign graduates must provide the specified FPGEC certification and examination documentation.
• Full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, subject to the stated temporary Graduate Pharmacist exception.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For GS-12 consideration, meet one of the following in addition to the basic requirements: one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade, or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.
• Demonstrate knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
• Demonstrate oral and written communication skills with patients and health care staff.
• Demonstrate knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards relating to distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
• Demonstrate skill in monitoring and assessing drug-therapy outcomes, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
• Submit a transcript with the application; foreign education used to meet requirements must be accompanied by a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.
• Meet applicable U.S. citizenship requirements; non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Meet employment conditions, including applicable background/security investigation, pre-employment drug screening for testing-designated positions, physical examination, seasonal influenza vaccination, onboarding, and trial-period requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Recent direct patient-care and comprehensive medication-management experience in an acute-care setting, including experience gained during residency training.
• Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree, advanced pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.), board certification (BPS), PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency, or equivalent experience or mentorship.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, document, monitor, assess, and adjust patient-specific therapeutic drug plans to achieve defined outcomes.
• Provide direct patient care and participate in patient care rounds within the pharmacist’s individual scope of practice.
• Provide comprehensive medication management and pharmacy services to complex patients on assigned inpatient medical and surgical teams.
• Review, interpret, evaluate, and approve medication orders and regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, route, efficacy, side effects, interactions, monitoring, and therapeutic outcomes.
• Communicate clinical findings to prescribers and recommend adjustments to treatment plans.
• Order and interpret laboratory tests and other clinical data; assess abnormalities and recommend therapeutic adjustments based on objective findings.
• Review patient medication histories, reconcile discrepancies, conduct medication interviews, and advise teams about medication regimens, compliance, and patient perspectives.
• Monitor and report medication errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, symptoms, and patient medication-compliance issues.
• Counsel patients about medication changes and discharge treatment plans, provide medication teaching, and document counseling activities.
• Accurately dispense medications in a timely manner to meet patient care needs.
• Support procedures and treatments provided in ICVAHCS clinics, including CBOCs, with pharmaceutical and operational services.
• Maintain proficiency and compliance in sterile and hazardous compounding, including preparation, stability, handling, beyond-use dating, and disposal in accordance with USP and applicable standards.
• Maintain competence in pharmacy operations, including electronic medical record software, automation, distribution, labeling, bar-code medication administration, packaging, documentation, controlled-substance accountability, and inventory management.
• Supervise pharmacy technicians and pharmacy students performing operational functions.
• Prioritize personal and pharmacy-wide workload, communicate priorities to pharmacy staff, and ensure timely and efficient service delivery.
• Assist the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee or pharmacy service leadership with medication-use evaluations and quality and safety initiatives.
• Precept pharmacy residents and students.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; the specific benefits available depend on position type and eligibility.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual for prior work or military service, subject to request and approval before appointment and not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree