Clinical Pharmacy Specialist- Community Living Center Long Term Care (CLC)

Veterans Health Administration • Tuskegee, AL

22h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist provides clinical pharmacy services in a Community Living Center Long Term Care setting. The role includes medication therapy management, direct disease state management as a mid-level provider, patient and provider consultation, and support for medication and fiscal management activities. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to individual eligibility, application review, and program approval. The potential award is up to $200,000 for an eligibility period of one to five years.

The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., subject to agency needs. Ad hoc telework may be available; this is not a virtual position. The role is a permanent, excepted-service federal appointment and requires a one- or two-year trial period. The incumbent must maintain a full, current, unrestricted pharmacy license and meet applicable education and proficiency requirements.

Requirements

• Graduate from an ACPE-accredited college or school of pharmacy with a BS in Pharmacy and/or Pharm.D.; foreign pharmacy graduates must provide FPGEC certification, including passing the FPGEE and TOEFL iBT.
• Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, and maintain any required current registration.
• Be proficient in spoken and written English.
• For the GS-13 grade, have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12).
• Communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions.
• Demonstrate expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for the program area.
• Solve problems and coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in the program area or area of clinical expertise.
• Demonstrate expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or pharmacy specialty.
• Monitor and assess drug-therapy outcomes, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
• Meet applicable U.S. citizenship requirements; non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Pass applicable pre-employment screening, including background/security investigation and physical evaluation; applicants selected for testing-designated positions are subject to pre-appointment urinalysis.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Complete the required application and onboarding requirements and serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• Geriatrics or long-term care experience.

Responsibilities

• Review medical orders for appropriateness of the drug, dosage, schedule, duration, and directions.
• Conduct polypharmacy reviews to identify opportunities to reduce medication and therapeutic duplications and improve medication-administration compliance.
• Make clinical medication therapy management decisions using computerized medication profiles and patient records, consultations, medication histories, laboratory reports, and information about allergies and adverse drug reactions.
• Provide medication and therapeutic consultations for assigned patients.
• Monitor patient compliance and medication-therapy outcomes, including ordering specific laboratory tests when appropriate.
• Coordinate and provide direct disease-state management as a mid-level provider.
• Document clinical and operational activities as assigned.
• Support departmental medication and fiscal management activities and programs.
• Support formulary compliance, medication conversions, treatment and pathway compliance, and drug-utilization evaluations.
• Participate in the design, implementation, and reporting of clinical and pharmacoeconomic studies and evaluations as assigned.
• Support adherence to the formulary and handle untoward situations with appropriate assertiveness and poise.
• Review and adjudicate non-formulary medication orders consistent with departmental guidelines and policy.
• Provide medication-related education to medical and non-medical residents, interns, students, and patients as assigned.
• Evaluate and synthesize primary and secondary clinical drug literature to support clinical decisions and patient or provider education.
• Participate in Clinical Pharmacy Section educational programs and staff-development lectures.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), with a potential award up to $200,000 for one to five years, subject to eligibility and program approval.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered for higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may receive a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) contributions of up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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