Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

Veterans Health Administration • Augusta, ME

22h • Onsite

About The Position

This Clinical Pharmacy Specialist position is in the Pharmacy Department at the VA Maine Healthcare System, located at the Augusta, ME location. This position is Full Time at 40 hours per week. The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist serves as a provider with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's scope of practice for the Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) in Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) to provide comprehensive medication therapy management (MTM) specifically for patients with Substance Use Disorders (SUD).

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• May be subject to satisfactory completion of our credentialing process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.
• Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet- Based Test (TOEFL iBT).
• Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.
• Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS 11, OR Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.
• Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
• Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
• Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
• In addition to the GS-12 requirements, candidates must have 1 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 their program area.
• Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise.
• Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy.
• Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

Nice To Haves

• Experience as a clinical pharmacist practitioner with a scope of practice, VA Maine experience preferred.
• PGY1 residency, PGY2 residency, board certifications (BPS), or equivalent training.
• Current and former VA HPT (residents) are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Verify vaccines and infectious disease screening.
• Provide medication education and implementing risk mitigation strategies.
• Perform suicide risk assessment and safety planning.
• Ensure referral of complex or unstable patients to higher level of care and/or additional behavioral interventions when needed.
• Prescribe, monitor and adjust non-controlled adjunct medications as needed.
• Evaluate the adequate treatment of co-morbid conditions that may impact treatment success and outcomes along with assessing for withdrawal symptoms; addressing or providing care management as needed and appropriate to scope of practice.
• Coordinate, encourage and monitor involvement and participation in psychosocial and psychotherapy as indicated.
• Communicate with team for next steps and coordination of care which may include ensuring needed appointments are scheduled, triaging unscheduled visits and facilitating urgent appointments with provider team members when necessary.
• Provides CMM for complex patients with chronic diseases including, but not limited to, opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and tobacco use disorder; orders and interprets labs or other needed test pertinent to CMM care and makes needed referrals.
• May also treat co-morbid conditions (e.g. mental health conditions, pain conditions, etc.) in alignment with scope of practice.
• Accepts urgent or same day patient visits including, but not limited to, patient medication review for polypharmacy, recent hospital or emergency department discharges, and co-managed care patients.
• Determines if a referral to the physician is necessary when disease progression occurs, or adverse drug events require a higher level of treatment intervention.
• Follows up via face to face, tele-health, e-consults, telephone, secure messaging and other modalities to provide patient care.
• Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required.
• Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed.
• Monitors and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues.
• Documents findings per facility procedures and in accordance with the VAADERS Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting program.
• Applies knowledge to interpret laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognizing significant abnormalities, and making dose adjustments or recommendations based on objective laboratory findings.
• Participates in the training and in-service of medical staff, nursing staff, residents, students and other allied health professionals as required.
• Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians and students.
• Uses appropriate references to research drug information.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Review our benefits

What This Job Offers

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