Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Inpatient Mental Health

Veterans Health Administration • Martinsburg, WV

10d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is within the Pharmacy Service of the Martinsburg, West Virginia Veteran Affairs Medical Center. The Inpatient Mental Health Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) is an advanced practice provider who works independently with prescribing privileges defined by the individual's Scope of Practice for Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner.

The CPP provides pharmacotherapy for mental health and substance use disorders and evaluates medication therapy through direct patient care on the acute mental health unit. Through clinical assessment, the CPP evaluates patients' responses to medication therapy, communicates and documents findings, and makes and documents recommendations to appropriate individuals. Medication therapy management includes selecting appropriate medications for disease-state management, monitoring patient outcomes, analyzing adverse drug events, and performing medication reconciliation. The CPP also provides comprehensive discharge services, including medication reconciliation and education.

Indirect patient-care activities include pharmacy benefits management, teaching, quality assurance, medication utilization review, and staff development. The position is part of the Pharmacy Service at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, either 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. This is not a virtual position; ad-hoc telework is indicated.

Requirements

• Graduate from an ACPE-accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and/or Doctor of Pharmacy degree, or meet the stated foreign pharmacy graduate equivalency requirements.
• Hold a full, current, and unrestricted pharmacist license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Have one year of professional pharmacy experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12), including medication-order review and verification, medication therapy recommendations, identifying medication-related problems, provider communication, documentation, medication reconciliation, drug information, formulary-related work, adverse drug event assessment, and medication distribution oversight.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate orally and in writing to influence clinical and management decisions.
• Demonstrate expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for the program area.
• Demonstrate the ability to solve problems and coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes.
• Have expert knowledge of a specialized clinical pharmacy practice area.
• Demonstrate advanced skill in monitoring and assessing drug-therapy outcomes, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
• Be a U.S. citizen, except where VA policy permits appointment of non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Meet applicable pre-employment requirements, including background/security investigation, physical evaluation, and seasonal influenza vaccination; selected applicants in testing-designated positions are subject to pre-appointment urinalysis.
• Serve a two-year trial period.
• Meet the application requirements listed in the announcement's Required Documents section.

Responsibilities

• Provide mental health and substance use disorder pharmacotherapy and evaluate medication therapy through direct care on the acute mental health unit.
• Assess patient responses to medication therapy, communicate and document findings, and make and document recommendations to appropriate individuals.
• Select appropriate medications for disease-state management and monitor patient outcomes.
• Analyze adverse drug events and perform medication reconciliation.
• Provide comprehensive discharge services, including medication reconciliation and medication education.
• Perform indirect patient-care activities, including pharmacy benefits management, teaching, quality assurance, medication utilization review, and staff development.
• Work independently under prescribing privileges defined by the individual's Scope of Practice.
• Treat patients, team members, facility employees, and visitors respectfully; respond to requests courteously and promptly; and support team efforts and group productivity.

Benefits

• 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, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for 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) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• 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