Clinical Pharmacist - Inpatient Rotational

Veterans Health Administration•Minneapolis, MN

About The Position

The Inpatient Rotational Clinical Pharmacist provides pharmacy care across clinical and operational areas, primarily for inpatients, with possible outpatient responsibilities. The pharmacist generally covers an assigned inpatient team and the central inpatient pharmacy and may cross-cover other inpatient pharmacy areas. Working with pharmacy staff and interdisciplinary care teams, the pharmacist supports safe, effective, cost-conscious, patient-centered medication therapy through patient-specific assessments, recommendations, documentation, drug information, and education. The role also encompasses pharmacy benefits management, staff development, quality assurance, medication utilization review, and teaching and mentoring students, interns, residents, and other trainees. The pharmacist provides clinical services and assesses, monitors, manages, and documents medication therapy for assigned patients. Clinical assignments may include anticoagulation, pharmacokinetics, and other specialty areas. The pharmacist also participates in inpatient pharmacy operations, quality improvement, pharmacoeconomic initiatives, committees, and workgroups; helps optimize pharmacy processes; and organizes work to complete duties during the assigned shift. Education responsibilities include training pharmacy personnel and learners, developing learning opportunities, and precepting trainees. Research duties include following study protocols and ensuring timely, cost-efficient medication support for research participants. The pharmacist may also participate in facility projects. This is a full-time position with various day and evening tours and some overnight shifts, including assigned weekends and holidays. Telework, if available, is ad hoc only; the position is not virtual. The full performance level is GS-12, and selection may be at GS-11 or GS-12. The position is in the Excepted Service and requires a pre-employment physical evaluation. A 1- or 2-year trial period is required.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
Graduation from an ACPE-accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a BS Pharmacy and/or Pharm.D. degree, or qualifying foreign pharmacy education with FPGEC certification.
Full, current, unrestricted pharmacist license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, subject to the stated temporary Graduate Pharmacist exception.
For GS-12, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program, in addition to the basic requirements.
Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
Ability to communicate orally and in writing with patients and health care staff.
Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards concerning distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
Skill in monitoring and assessing drug therapy outcomes, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
BLS certification.
Must complete a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination and meet other stated pre-employment requirements, including background/security investigation and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
A transcript must be submitted with the application; foreign education used for qualification requires the specified foreign-equivalency documentation.

Nice To Haves

Residency training or two years of inpatient pharmacy experience is preferred.
ACLS certification is encouraged for inpatient pharmacists and required for pharmacists routinely assigned to cross-cover the ICU pharmacist.

Responsibilities

Assess, monitor, manage, and document medication therapy for assigned patients.
Provide patient-focused clinical pharmacy services in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams and other health care professionals.
Evaluate drug therapy based on patient-specific factors and recommend alternatives to optimize safe, effective, cost-conscious medication use.
Provide clinical care in anticoagulation, pharmacokinetics, and other assigned areas.
Document patient care and clinical interventions in the medical record and other appropriate systems.
Provide drug information and medication education to health care professionals, patients, and caregivers.
Follow applicable regulations, standards, policies, and procedures governing medication distribution, control, security, and records.
Participate in inpatient pharmacy workgroups and help develop and optimize efficient, safe, effective, educational, patient-centered processes.
Organize workload to complete duties within the assigned shift and resolve problems independently when possible.
Participate in quality improvement, pharmacoeconomic initiatives, committees, and workgroups.
Develop or maintain subject matter expertise in an acute or specialty care area of inpatient pharmacy practice.
Train pharmacy employees, residents, and Pharm.D. students; develop learning opportunities and rotations; and precept trainees.
Document and evaluate learning experiences appropriately and on time, and collaborate on pharmacy training and staff development.
Follow research protocols and study medication procedures, ensuring research participants’ medication needs are met in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
Participate in the development and implementation of facility projects, which may involve pharmacy residents and students.
Maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification; maintain Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification when routinely cross-covering the ICU pharmacist.