Clinical Pharmacist (Ambulatory)

Veterans Health Administration • Buffalo, NY

6d

About The Position

The Clinical Pharmacist provides distributive and clinical pharmacy support to primary care, medicine, surgery, and specialty clinics within the VAWNYHS. The role includes direct and indirect patient care, drug therapy monitoring, quality assurance and improvement, staff and patient education, and consultation.

Distributive responsibilities include preparing, compounding, packaging, labeling, and dispensing medications; ensuring appropriate handling and records for controlled, investigational, and cytotoxic drugs; maintaining secure and safe storage areas; reviewing medication profiles for safe and appropriate use; initiating medication orders under approved protocols or provider consultation; and dispensing research drugs in accordance with VA policy.

Clinical responsibilities include identifying and addressing medication-related problems, recommending therapeutic care plans, counseling patients and families, maintaining accurate medication profiles, consulting with healthcare professionals, and applying pharmacokinetic principles to assess serum levels and recommend treatment adjustments. The pharmacist also supports education and training, quality assurance and improvement activities, administrative operations, and supervision and guidance of pharmacy technicians and trainees.

The schedule is every other week: Saturday and Sunday, 7:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m., and Monday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The schedule may change based on service needs. The position's full-performance level and actual selection grade are GS-12.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Must have a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) from an ACPE-accredited college or school of pharmacy, or qualifying foreign pharmacy education with FPGEC certification, including the FPGEE and TOEFL iBT.
• Must hold a full, current, unrestricted pharmacist license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, and maintain current registration when required.
• Must meet the GS-12 grade requirement through one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.
• Must demonstrate knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
• Must be able to communicate orally and in writing with patients and healthcare staff.
• Must know laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
• Must be skilled in monitoring and assessing drug therapy outcomes, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
• Must complete required background/security investigation, pre-employment physical evaluation, onboarding, and drug screening if selected for a testing-designated position.
• Must meet Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the terms described in the announcement.

Nice To Haves

• Three or more years of ambulatory care or retail experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, compound when necessary, package, label, and dispense medication orders accurately.
• Dispense controlled, investigational, research, and cytotoxic drugs in accordance with applicable laws, agency regulations, VA policy, and recordkeeping requirements.
• Maintain safe, secure, and appropriately stocked drug storage areas.
• Review patient medication profiles before dispensing and identify medication-related safety or appropriateness concerns.
• Initiate medication orders under approved protocols, established guidelines, or provider consultation.
• Identify drug-induced problems, including side effects, allergic reactions, toxicities, inappropriate dosage regimens, and noncompliance; take appropriate action or communicate findings to the primary provider.
• Review and recommend therapeutic care plans that consider effectiveness, toxicity, cost, and patient age and life stage.
• Counsel patients and family members on medication directions, side effects, precautions, and adherence.
• Maintain accurate and current patient profiles, including allergy and adverse drug reaction information and non-VA medication and order updates within scope of practice.
• Provide medication-management consultation to physicians, nurses, and other health professionals through rounds and formal or informal consultations.
• Apply pharmacokinetic methods, including rate-order equations and assessment of serum levels, distribution volumes, and renal or hepatic clearance, to make recommendations.
• Complete assignments independently and in a timely manner, resolve routine conflicts using judgment, and meet position objectives.
• Assist with orientation and training of pharmacy employees, residents, students, medical trainees, providers, and pharmacy volunteers.
• Advise medical staff on pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology through effective written and oral communication.
• Participate in drug-use and medication-use evaluation, including identifying problem areas, developing criteria, analyzing findings, and following up.
• Document patient-centered workload according to VAWNYHS, VISN, and VACO pharmacy guidelines.
• Support pharmacy efficiency efforts, including testing software and technology, proposing operational changes, and realigning workload.
• Guide and advise lower-grade coworkers and trainees on receiving, interpreting, compounding, and filling medication orders.
• Manage and supervise pharmacy technicians in assigned areas.
• Verify or correct medication orders entered by providers, including the correct nature of order and required documentation.
• Coordinate and resolve medication-distribution problems.
• Analyze data and complete reports, including clinic and ward inspections and chart reviews, in accordance with policy.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to the employee and family, with eligibility depending on position type.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior federal employment or military service, subject to request and approval before appointment.

What This Job Offers

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