Clinical Pharmacy Specialist- Mental Health (Domiciliary)

Veterans Health Administration • Orlando, FL

3d

About The Position

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) in mental health provides evidence-based pharmaceutical care through direct and indirect interaction with patients and providers. The specialist manages pharmacotherapy for an assigned team, ensuring treatment guidelines, appropriate medication monitoring, National Formulary requirements, and local policies are followed. The CPS independently manages patients who have not reached disease-state goals in the pharmacotherapy clinic and, with approved clinical privileges, may direct therapy and order laboratory tests for patient monitoring. Patient treatment authority may be granted through a consult, provider request, VA-endorsed population-management dashboard, or locally approved automatic-consult policy.

The CPS collaborates with providers—including physicians, PAs, ARNPs, and pharmacists—to optimize rational and cost-effective drug therapy. The role serves as an authoritative source of medication information, evaluates drug literature and therapeutic regimens, identifies medical problems and possible drug-induced issues, and designs patient-specific treatment plans with appropriate therapeutic endpoints and follow-up. The specialist monitors therapeutic and adverse effects, including interactions, and promotes criteria for formulary and non-formulary medication use. The CPS also consults on therapeutic regimens in response to non-therapeutic drug concentrations, interviews patients to obtain medication histories, develops pharmaceutical care plans, performs medication reconciliation, and identifies medication-related problems that may affect patients or contribute to hospitalization.

The stated schedule is Monday through Friday, 0800–1630; however, hours may vary according to service needs and may rotate to include day, evening, night, weekend, and holiday work. Ad-hoc telework is available; this is not a virtual position. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to individual eligibility and program approval. The role is a permanent, full-performance-level GS-13 position in the Excepted Service.

Requirements

• Graduate of an ACPE-accredited college or school of pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, or meet the stated foreign pharmacy graduate education requirements through FPGEC certification.
• Full, current, and unrestricted pharmacist license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; maintain current registration if required for licensure.
• For GS-13, at least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12).
• 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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruitment of qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Pass required pre-employment drug screening, background/security investigation, and physical evaluation; comply with the seasonal influenza vaccination program and applicable onboarding requirements.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, as applicable.

Nice To Haves

• ASHP-accredited PGY1 residency and a PGY2 residency in mental health.
• Board certification in applicable area(s).

Responsibilities

• Provide evidence-based pharmaceutical care through direct and indirect interaction with patients and providers.
• Manage pharmacotherapy for the assigned team, ensuring adherence to treatment guidelines, medication-monitoring recommendations, National Formulary requirements, and local policy.
• Independently manage pharmacotherapy patients who are not at disease-state goal in the clinic.
• With approved clinical privileges, direct therapy and order laboratory tests for appropriate patient monitoring.
• Collaborate with physicians, PAs, ARNPs, and other pharmacists to optimize rational and cost-effective drug therapy.
• Serve as an authoritative source of information about drugs and their use in therapy, particularly medications used by assigned patients.
• Evaluate drug literature, experimental design, and methodology to compare therapeutic regimens and assess the roles of new drugs.
• Identify medical problems, disease states, symptoms, abnormal laboratory values, and potential drug-induced problems that may require a change in therapy.
• Design patient-specific therapeutic regimens and plans, including endpoints, medication selection, dosing regimens, related therapy, and follow-up.
• Monitor and assess therapeutic and adverse effects of drug therapy, including interactions, using patient-specific and laboratory parameters.
• Promote and implement criteria for use of formulary and non-formulary medications.
• Provide consultation on therapeutic-regimen selection following non-therapeutic drug concentrations in ambulatory care and inpatient settings.
• Interview patients, obtain medication histories, develop pharmaceutical care plans, and perform medication reconciliation as part of provider duties.
• Identify drug-related problems, including side effects, allergic reactions, toxicities, improper dosage regimens, and non-compliance, that may affect patients or contribute to hospitalization.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), with potential award up to $200,000, subject to eligibility and approval.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service experience.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Potential childcare subsidy for eligible full-time employees after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term-life, and long-term-care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Ad-hoc telework available.

What This Job Offers

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