Summary
The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist - Pain manages medication for patients with pain via face-to-face - telephone - CVT - or VA Video Connect encounters - and provides consultations. They work with a multidisciplinary team to optimize outcomes and serve as an educational resource. They ensure compliance with policies - verify orders - educate patients - review profiles - supervise technicians - and provide drug information.
Qualifications
Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
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
- 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 2 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 1
- English Language Proficiency
- Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d)
- GRADE DETERMINATIONS
- In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
- GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Experience
- In addition to the GS-12 requirements - must have one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
- Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
- Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
- Preferred Experience: Applicable residency training and/or comparable clinical experience
- Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
- This vacancy is above the full performance level
- Physical Requirements: The position may require walking - standing - and sitting for long periods
- It also involves climbing stairs - lifting up to 50 pounds - hand and wrist dexterity - and arm strength for dispensing medication orders
- All activities are conducted with the goals of self-enhancement and personal growth - adhering to safety and security regulations.
Duties
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the \"Required Documents\" section of this announcement
- VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws a
- Direct and Indirect Patient Care Functions Serves as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) - Pain - applying advanced expertise in pain management to optimize patient care
- Functions as an advanced practitioner within an approved scope of practice - providing direct patient care through face-to-face and non-face-to-face encounters
- Documents all patient care activities in accordance with medical center policy
- Collaborates with physicians and other healthcare professionals in the management of patients with pain
- Provides written and verbal consultation to support rational - evidence-based medication selection
- Designs - implements - and monitors individualized therapeutic plans under the scope of practice and appropriate physician involvement
- Determines medication selection - dosing - laboratory monitoring - and therapeutic endpoints
- Develops care plans using comprehensive patient-specific information and accepted clinical practice principles
- Ensures therapeutic plans align with national - VISN - and local policies and guidelines
- Identifies - evaluates - and manages adverse drug reactions related to pain medications
- Adjusts pharmacotherapy to optimize safety and efficacy
- Critically evaluates medical and pharmaceutical literature to inform clinical decision-making
- Plans - develops - and maintains effective clinical pharmacy programs that promote rational - cost-effective pharmacotherapy
- Collaborates with services and initiatives within the OKC VA Health Care System - including the multidisciplinary Pain PACT
- Establishes and maintains patient data through medication histories - physical assessment - and ongoing monitoring of drug therapy
- Documents findings in the electronic medical record
- Utilizes national - VISN - and local dashboards to identify patients appropriate for pharmacotherapy services
- Identifies opportunities for quality improvement and process enhancement
- Serves as a liaison for Pharmacy Service
- b
- Education and Training Functions Assesses and addresses patient and family educational needs to support achievement of therapeutic goals
- Provides specialized education and training to healthcare professionals in advanced pharmacotherapeutics
- Serves as a clinical resource for medication use in patients with pain
- Precepts and supervises pharmacy students on assigned clinical rotations
- Precepts and supervises pharmacy residents and/or fellows on clinical rotations and learning experiences - as applicable
- Designs and supports interdisciplinary education and training programs in collaboration with pharmacy - medical - nursing - dental - and research services
- Provides in-service education and training as scheduled
- c
- Dispensing Functions Reviews and verifies medication orders for appropriateness - including drug selection - dose - route - strength - quantity - and duration
- Evaluates orders for potential drug interactions - contraindications - adverse effects - and dosing errors
- Maintains strict security and accountability of controlled substances
- Conducts accurate perpetual inventories in accordance with established procedures
- Provides quality oversight of labeling - prepackaging - compounding - and dispensing activities related to controlled substances
- d
- Administrative Functions Establishes service priorities in coordination with the Associate Chief - Clinical Pharmacy and Education - and partner services
- Supports local and VISN opioid safety initiatives
- Maintains effective collaboration with interdisciplinary staff regarding medication-related issues and pharmacy policies
- Participates in development and revision of policies and procedures as needed
- Serves on medical center committees as requested
- Monitors and reports medication errors - adverse drug events - and patient compliance issues per facility procedures
- Promotes and monitors compliance with established drug therapy policies
- Works with providers to ensure adherence to national - VISN - and local initiatives
- e
- Advancement of the Profession With appropriate approval - collaborates on research and quality improvement projects evaluating the clinical and economic impact of therapeutic interventions within the scope of the position
- Work Schedule: Full-time - Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Situational (Ad-hoc) as determined by agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position
- Functional Statement #: 635-54875-A
