Pharmacist-Clinical Specialist PACT (Intermittent)

Veterans Health Administration • Aurora, CO

18h

About The Position

The Primary Care Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner is an Advanced Practice Provider who works autonomously under an approved Scope of Practice. This intermittent position has varying hours per week based on service needs. The role may provide care to Veterans at clinics in Golden, Aurora, Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center, Englewood, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. The work location is negotiable within the health care system’s catchment area.

The practitioner provides direct and indirect clinical pharmacy services, including chronic disease medication management, medication safety reviews, laboratory and diagnostic monitoring, care transitions, drug information, and patient and caregiver education. The pharmacist functions as a mid-level provider and collaborates with other providers and pharmacy leadership while exercising independent clinical judgment within the Scope of Practice and clinical privileges.

The schedule is Monday through Friday, intermittent, with no holidays. Ad-hoc telework is available based on service needs; this is not a virtual position. Recruitment and relocation incentives and permanent change of station assistance are not authorized.

The position is at the GS-13 level. Applicants must meet the education, licensure, and English proficiency requirements, along with the applicable experience and clinical pharmacy knowledge, skills, and abilities for the grade. The role requires maintaining patient confidentiality and the ability to perform clinical duties in a shared, moderately noisy, frequently interrupted primary care environment. Duties involve prolonged sitting, typing, computer and telephone use, occasional movement around medical facilities, and occasional lifting of light equipment or reference materials.

Requirements

• Graduate of 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 education requirement through FPGEC certification, including the FPGEE and TOEFL iBT.
• 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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For GS-13, 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 and 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.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizen appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Must meet applicable pre-employment, security, identification, onboarding, and seasonal influenza vaccination conditions; selected applicants must serve a 1- or 2-year trial period.
• Ability to work effectively in shared workspaces amid nearby conversations and frequent interruptions while maintaining patient confidentiality and clinical accuracy.
• Ability to concentrate and conduct phone and VVC encounters in a moderate-noise environment.
• Ability to sustain prolonged sitting, typing, computer screen use, and telephone/headset use.
• Visual acuity sufficient to review laboratory results, medication lists, and clinical documentation, and auditory acuity sufficient to conduct telephone/VVC encounters and detect patient-reported symptoms or distress.
• Ability to move between clinic rooms, workstations, and other facility areas; occasional walking, standing, and use of stairs or elevators may be required.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry reference materials, a laptop/mobile workstation, or other light equipment, generally not exceeding 15–20 pounds.
• Ability to manage rapid task switching between patient care, documentation, and interruptions while maintaining accuracy in independent clinical decision-making.

Nice To Haves

• PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency.
• PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency with at least one year of ambulatory care clinical experience, with or without BCPS, BCACP, or BGCP certification.
• Multiple years of ambulatory care clinical experience with BCPS, BCACP, or BGCP certification.

Responsibilities

• Conduct face-to-face, telephone, and telehealth/VVC encounters with patients referred or empaneled for comprehensive medication management (CMM).
• Independently initiate, titrate, adjust, and discontinue medication therapy for chronic disease states to achieve defined outcomes through direct patient care and collaboration with providers.
• Order, perform, review, and interpret laboratory tests and diagnostic studies needed to monitor and support drug therapy, and adjust treatment plans based on results.
• Perform and document relevant physical assessments to inform drug therapy decisions within the Scope of Practice and clinical privileges.
• Follow up with patients about laboratory and test results, communicate findings, and adjust therapeutic plans, including medication changes, monitoring frequency, and additional testing.
• Determine when referral to a physician or specialist is warranted because of disease progression, diagnostic uncertainty, or adverse drug events outside the practitioner’s scope.
• Manage transitions of care, including post-discharge medication reconciliation, resolving polypharmacy discrepancies, and coordinating with non-VA and specialty care as needed.
• Review medication regimens for effectiveness, appropriateness, dosing, contraindications, adverse effects, and drug interactions; communicate findings and implement alternative plans when clinically indicated.
• Obtain and document comprehensive medication histories and communicate significant findings in the electronic health record and to responsible providers as appropriate.
• Monitor, document, and report medication errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient adherence concerns in accordance with facility procedures.
• Apply clinical knowledge of laboratory reference ranges to identify significant abnormalities and make dose-adjustment decisions based on objective findings.
• Review and adjudicate requests for non-formulary and restricted medications against established clinical criteria, where applicable.
• Collaborate with providers and pharmacy leadership to support compliance with national, VISN, and local clinical initiatives.
• Review and verify medication orders for appropriateness and safety, intervening to reduce the risk of adverse drug events.
• Support the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee with medication use evaluations, drug utilization reviews, and formulary safety initiatives.
• Serve as a clinical authority on medication use, drug interactions, overdose management, and adherence for medical staff, nursing staff, technicians, and trainees, using evidence-based references.
• Maintain current working knowledge of pharmacotherapy literature and clinical decision-support resources.
• Provide timely, accurate responses to drug information inquiries from customer groups.
• Educate patients and caregivers on appropriate medication and device use, adapting communication to age, health literacy, and developmental considerations; assess and document comprehension and refer to multidisciplinary education programs as indicated.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in shared workspaces and during clinical work.
• Complete required onboarding and employment conditions, including applicable background/security review, pre-employment testing and physical evaluation, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays per year.
• 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 with total family income below $144,000 may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, up to 25% of eligible childcare costs and a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• 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 based on service needs.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree