Clinical Pharmacist (Inpatient)

Veterans Health Administration • Buffalo, NY

11d

About The Position

The Clinical Pharmacist provides distributive and clinical pharmacy support to internal medicine, surgery, and specialty clinics within the VAWNYHS. The role includes direct and indirect patient care, drug therapy monitoring, quality assurance and improvement, education, and consultation. The pharmacist handles medication-related activities under local, VISN, and national policies, and supports safe and effective medication use through order review, dispensing, clinical recommendations, patient counseling, documentation, and oversight of technical staff.

The position performs distributive duties including selecting, preparing, compounding, packaging, labeling, and dispensing medications. It includes responsibility for controlled, investigational, research, and cytotoxic drugs; maintaining compliant records and secure, stocked storage areas; reviewing medication profiles; preparing special formulations; and initiating orders under approved protocols or provider consultation.

Clinical work includes identifying and addressing medication-related problems, developing and communicating therapeutic recommendations, counseling patients and families, maintaining accurate medication profiles, consulting with health professionals, and applying pharmacokinetics to assess serum levels and recommend treatment adjustments. The pharmacist also contributes to staff and patient education, orientation and training, quality improvement and medication-use evaluation, workload documentation, operational improvements, and pharmacy administration.

The work schedule is every other weekend: Friday 7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., and Monday 7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. The schedule is subject to change based on service needs. The full-performance level and actual grade for this vacancy are GS-12.

Requirements

• Graduate of an ACPE-accredited college or school of pharmacy with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and/or Doctor of Pharmacy degree, or qualifying foreign pharmacy education with FPGEC certification, including FPGEE and TOEFL iBT.
• Full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Meet the GS-12 grade requirement through either one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade or completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.
• 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 related to 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.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Meet applicable background/security, pre-employment testing, physical evaluation, identification, onboarding, and other stated employment conditions.
• Register with Selective Service if applicable to male applicants born after December 31, 1959.
• Complete application requirements stated in the announcement and serve a one- or two-year trial period if appointed.

Nice To Haves

• Three or more years of inpatient or hospital experience.
• Residency or fellowship training in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may substitute for qualifying experience on a year-for-year basis, subject to the stated accreditation or comparability conditions.

Responsibilities

• Fill medication orders by selecting the correct drug and dosage form, preparing the prescribed quantity, compounding when necessary, and packaging and labeling medications appropriately.
• Dispense controlled substances, investigational and research drugs, and cytotoxic drugs in accordance with legal and agency requirements; maintain complete records and safe, secure, stocked storage areas.
• Review patient medication profiles before dispensing to ensure safe and appropriate medication use.
• Prepare special formulations and extemporaneously compound routine and special medications requiring complex procedures.
• Initiate medication orders under approved protocols, established guidelines, or provider consultation.
• Provide pharmacy care needed to meet patient-care needs and maintain competence in areas of pharmacy practice.
• Identify drug-induced problems, take appropriate steps to manage them, and communicate findings to primary providers.
• Review and recommend therapeutic care plans using effective, least toxic, and economical medication treatments, considering patients’ age and life stage.
• Counsel patients and family members about medication directions, side effects, precautions, and adherence to prescribed regimens.
• Monitor patient profiles and keep information current, including allergies and adverse drug reactions, non-VA medications, and orders within the pharmacist’s scope of practice.
• Consult with physicians, nurses, and other health professionals on medication management, including through rounds and formal or informal consultations.
• Apply pharmacokinetics and appropriate rate-order equations to assess serum levels and make recommendations based on distribution volumes and renal or hepatic clearance.
• Complete assignments accurately, independently, and on time; resolve most work conflicts using judgment and interpretation.
• Assist in orienting and training pharmacy employees, residents, students, medical staff, and pharmacy volunteers.
• Provide written and oral consultation to medical staff on pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology.
• Participate in drug-use and medication-use evaluation processes, including identifying problem areas, developing criteria, analyzing results, and following up as appropriate.
• Document patient-centered workload according to VAWNYHS, VISN, and VACO Pharmacy guidelines.
• Contribute to pharmacy efficiency initiatives, 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, according to policy.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for employees and their families; specific benefits depend on position type and eligibility.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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