Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Tulsa, OK

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System is hiring two Clinical Pharmacy Specialists to provide direct patient care in Acute Care Medicine, Inpatient Rehabilitation, Intensive/Critical Care, Post Surgery, and the Emergency Room. The specialists provide clinical pharmacy services under a Global Scope of Practice, using pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles to optimize therapeutic outcomes. They assess patients, monitor medication therapy, make treatment recommendations, and collaborate with prescribers and interdisciplinary healthcare teams.

The position is full-time and works four 10-hour shifts per week. Scheduled hours are either 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., depending on operational needs. Compressed or flexible scheduling is available. The position is based at the James Mountain Inhofe VA Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Telework may be available on an ad hoc basis under agency policy; this is not a virtual position.

Applicants must meet the education and licensure requirements for pharmacists, including graduation from an ACPE-accredited pharmacy program and a full, current, unrestricted U.S. pharmacy license. The GS-13 grade also requires one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade and demonstration of specified clinical, communication, regulatory, and organizational competencies. Preferred experience includes complex-patient pharmacotherapy, precepting or mentoring, interdisciplinary collaboration, and provider education.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Graduate of an ACPE-accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a BS in Pharmacy and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy degree; foreign pharmacy graduates must provide the specified FPGEC certification.
• Full, current, unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; maintain current registration if required for licensure.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For the GS-13 grade, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level; the announcement notes that this may be met by one year of experience equivalent and that a current, past, or upcoming VHA Health Professions Trainee graduate meets one year of equivalent experience.
• 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 and coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in the program area or clinical specialty.
• 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.
• Meet applicable pre-employment requirements, including background/security investigation, pre-employment physical evaluation, and seasonal influenza vaccination; selected applicants must complete onboarding and required application documentation.
• Maintain current BLS and/or ACLS certification when required.

Nice To Haves

• Experience managing complex patients using evidence-based pharmacotherapy.
• Experience precepting learners or mentoring pharmacy staff.
• At least three years of clinical pharmacy experience.
• Strong interdisciplinary collaboration experience.
• Provider education experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical pharmacy services under a Global Scope of Practice, including initiating, modifying, and discontinuing medications based on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles.
• Conduct patient-specific therapeutic drug monitoring and evaluate medication regimens for appropriateness, duplication, administration, adherence, interactions, efficacy, toxicity, and adverse effects.
• Assess clinical symptoms, physical findings, laboratory data, allergies, and other patient information to evaluate medication safety and efficacy and recommend interventions.
• Communicate medication-related findings and recommendations orally and in writing to prescribers and other healthcare professionals.
• Counsel patients and caregivers, obtain medication histories through interviews, and provide drug information to healthcare professionals and patients.
• Provide clinical pharmacy consultations, including renal dose adjustments, formulary alternatives, and non-formulary medication reviews.
• Implement Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee policies, including therapeutic interchanges and automatic substitutions, and educate patients and providers as appropriate.
• Manage medication recalls and shortages by recommending alternatives, dosing instructions, or therapeutically equivalent medications.
• Report adverse drug events, near misses, and medication errors under VADERS and facility policies; document interventions and medication-related outcomes.
• Participate in Medication Utilization Evaluation activities and develop or conduct drug-use evaluations to improve medication safety, effectiveness, cost efficiency, and patient outcomes.
• Assist with formulary management and promote appropriate medication utilization according to policies and clinical guidelines.
• Identify and document cost-reduction and cost-avoidance opportunities and participate in pharmacoeconomic evaluations.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to develop and implement programs that improve medication use and pharmaceutical care.
• Participate in research and quality improvement initiatives related to drug therapy outcomes, pharmacoeconomics, and medication management.
• Serve as a role model and preceptor for pharmacy students and residents, support staff development, and provide educational in-services to pharmacy, nursing, medical, and other healthcare personnel.
• Enter medication supply orders for patient care in accordance with facility policies.
• Maintain current BLS and/or ACLS certification as required and competencies needed to provide backup pharmacy staffing coverage.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays per year.
• Selected applicants may qualify for 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 the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family-income, eligible-child, and maximum-subsidy conditions.
• 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
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree