Government and Policy, Healthcare, Other, Healthcare, Practitioner and Technician
Job Description
Clinical Pharmacist
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
(Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) Education: 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
Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois 60602-5109
phone: (312) 664-3575, or through their Web site at: http://vvww.acpe-accredit.orgt (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program
Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.) 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)
Licensure: 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
The pharmacist must maintain current registration if this is a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure
A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16
English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
Grandfathering provision: May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-11 Pharmacist: Experience, Education, and Licensure
None beyond the basic requirements
GS-12 Pharmacist (Full Performance Level)Experience or Education: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. Program
Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): 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
Preferred Experience: Recent inpatient pharmacy experience (within last 2 years)
General residency training from an accredited ASHP residency program Recent infusion or oncology experience (within last 5 years) Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
The full performance level of this vacancy is 12
Physical Requirements: The work environment is an inpatient pharmacy, an outpatient pharmacy, or a patient care area environment (including the Surgical Suite or Emergency Department)
Some home visits may be required in the home based primary care role
There may be extremes of temperature, distractions, noise from equipment or patient care activities
Handles frozen and refrigerated products often
May be required to use heating equipment
Exposure to negative and positive air pressure rooms is also possible
Must be able to don/doff protective garments and use equipment as necessary for assignment
May work with cleaning and disinfecting products occasionally
Must have the use of fingers
both hands required
Twisting and grasping of bottles and vials or syringes occurs frequently
Some lifting (25 lbs.), stretching and forward and overhead reaching is involved
Walking and standing 8-12 hours
repeated bending 8 hours
both legs required
May have to kneel to retrieve product(s) from lower cabinets or the floor
Must be able to rapidly coordinate mental and muscular duties simultaneously
Computer keyboard activity and computer monitor use is frequently performed
May be required to operate robotic packaging machinery and automated dispensing devices
Fine motor skills (for packaging and counting) and excellent visual acuity (for expiration date, tablet identification, and prescription interpretation) are required
Near vision correctable @ 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception
ability to distinguish shades of colors
Hearing acuity is required for phone communication, patient counseling and professional communication (hearing aid use is permitted)
May be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials or other parts of the facility, carrying of light objects such as books and reports
May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders
Must be a mature, flexible sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs
