Government and Policy, Healthcare, Other, Healthcare, Practitioner and Technician
Job Description
Clinical Pharmacist - Outpatient
Qualifications
All requirements must be met at the time of the announcement closing.
Basic Requirements:
United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) 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://www.acpe-accredit.org/
(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
Exception
Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B)
The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist
For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed
NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. 7402(f))
Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment
This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification
Failure to Obtain License
In all cases, pharmacists must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment
At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unlicensed pharmacist with the written requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline
Failure to become licensed within 2 years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0660 Pharmacist series and may result in termination of employment
Grandfathering Provision
All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation
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)
GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist Experience or Education: In addition to basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1 year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, OR Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program
AND Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following 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
Creditable Experience: (1) Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices
To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice
Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board
(2) Residency and Fellowship Training
Residency and fellowship training programs in a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for- year basis
The pharmacy residency program must be accredited by the American Society of Health- System Pharmacists (ASHP)
A fellowship program that is not accredited by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) will need to have comparable standards for experience to be creditable (Professional Standards Board refers to the Deputy Chief Consultant for Professional Practice for the determination)
(3) Quality of Experience
Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level
Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination
(4) Part-time Experience
Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
For example, a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service
Preferred Experience: Previous outpatient pharmacy experience, residency trained Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.
