Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (PACT)

Veterans Health Administration • Hines, IL

2d • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a PACT Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner (CPP) in the Pharmacy Service at Edward Hines, Jr. Hospital in Hines, Illinois, and the Oak Lawn Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Oak Lawn, Illinois. The CPP provides patient-centered comprehensive medication management in outpatient primary care, collaborating with patients and healthcare providers to optimize medication use and health outcomes. The position is a mid-level practitioner role responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring therapeutic drug plans through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas.

The role includes direct and indirect patient care; medication dispensing and distribution; education, training, and precepting; and administrative and technical support. The practitioner manages individualized medication-therapy plans, interprets clinical information, makes medication decisions within an approved scope of practice, evaluates medication effectiveness and safety, educates patients, and documents care. The practitioner also supports formulary management, medication-use improvement, quality improvement, and clinical pharmacy services.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The position requires driving to the Oak Lawn CBOC two days per week. Telework is not available, and this is not a virtual position. The full performance level is GS-13. Relocation and recruitment incentives are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception under VA policy 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.; alternatively, foreign pharmacy graduates must provide FPGEC certification, including the FPGEE and TOEFL iBT requirements.
• Full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; maintain current registration if required for licensure.
• At least one year of experience equivalent to GS-12 for the GS-13 grade level.
• Experience handling routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, VISN, and national policies and regulations; designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring, and documenting therapeutic plans; supporting patient-centered outcomes; performing physical assessments; evaluating provider orders; using the Electronic Health Record; verifying orders as needed; and ordering laboratory and other tests to assess medication efficacy and toxicity.
• Understanding of applicable practice standards, including ASHP, Joint Commission, VA PBM Guidance, VHA directives and handbooks, hospital policies and procedures, EPRP, quality measures, and other relevant professional standards.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for the program area.
• Ability to solve problems, coordinate, and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in the program area or area of clinical expertise.
• Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or pharmacy specialty.
• Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing drug-therapy outcomes, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
• Must meet applicable VA employment conditions, including background/security investigation, pre-employment drug screening when applicable, pre-employment physical examination, seasonal influenza vaccination, onboarding, and required application documentation.
• Must complete the required one- or two-year trial period, subject to the stated continuation determination.
• Must be physically and mentally able to perform the work, including prolonged computer use and sitting, typing, walking within the medical center, twisting, turning, bending, stooping, and lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling equipment or supplies up to 50 pounds.
• Must handle medications requiring special handling and documentation, including hazardous drugs, and wear appropriate respiratory and other personal protective equipment such as N-95s or PAPRs as required by policy.

Nice To Haves

• PGY-1 or PGY-2 residency, and/or equivalent work experience.
• Board certification relevant to the position, such as BCACP or BCPS.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, monitor, and adjust individualized medication-therapy plans in collaboration with patients, prescribers, and the interdisciplinary care team.
• Order, review, and interpret clinical measurements, laboratory results, diagnostic studies, medication histories, and prescription-monitoring data to support treatment decisions.
• Initiate, modify, continue, or discontinue medications, vaccines, devices, and supplies within the approved scope of practice, including in urgent and high-risk situations.
• Provide comprehensive medication management through in-person and virtual encounters; complete follow-up and coordinate medication reconciliation and transitions of care.
• Evaluate therapeutic effectiveness, safety, adherence, interactions, contraindications, adverse reactions, and medication errors; communicate concerns and recommendations to the care team.
• Educate patients through individualized counseling and motivational interviewing, confirm understanding, and refer complex or unstable patients for higher-level care when appropriate.
• Document care plans, interventions, findings, and outcomes in the electronic health record and other required systems in accordance with policies and productivity expectations.
• Evaluate formulary, non-formulary, restricted, and high-cost medication requests, and support drug-use criteria that promote appropriate, safe, effective, and cost-conscious care.
• Develop and communicate medication-use criteria, clinical findings, and recommendations to healthcare providers and practitioner groups.
• Process electronic medication orders and verify patient information, medication, dose, route, frequency, allergies, interactions, incompatibilities, duplication, and priority.
• Identify and resolve prescribing, dispensing, pharmacotherapy, and formulary issues, and document interventions within required timeframes.
• Assist with coordinating pharmacy technicians and volunteers involved in preparing, labeling, dispensing, manufacturing, and delivering medications and supplies.
• Dispense controlled substances accurately in accordance with current policies and procedures.
• Precept students and PGY-1/PGY-2 residents while maintaining ASHP-aligned qualifications; promote pharmacy practice and educate teams on PACT and CPP processes.
• Develop and deliver training for healthcare professionals; support policy compliance and improvements to clinical pharmacy services; present or publish project and research results when possible.
• Provide advanced pharmacotherapy education, drug information, and literature reviews; complete mandatory training and maintain required documentation.
• Follow infection-control, safety, environmental, recycling, and hazardous-medication procedures; comply with environmental laws and support waste reduction, conservation, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate on drug-use improvement programs and medication-use evaluations; track cost reductions and cost avoidance; manage the formulary and promote appropriate medication use.
• Support quality improvement through criteria development, data collection, and evaluation; complete assigned duties and required systems training on time.
• Supervise clinical technical support, including automated dispensing and BCMA systems.
• Provide age-appropriate care based on patient needs and service policies.
• Serve on interdisciplinary committees and workgroups as a subject-matter expert; participate in professional practice evaluations and peer review as assigned.
• Travel by car to the Oak Lawn CBOC two days per week.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Comprehensive federal employee benefits package; specific benefit eligibility depends on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.

What This Job Offers

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