Qualifications

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
• 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.) (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, 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)
• (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED) 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
• (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED) Grade Requirements: In addition to the Basic Requirements above, you must meet the following: GS-13 Experience: In addition to the basic requirements have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled which includes but not limited to: Reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness
• Processing and filling medication orders
• Interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care
• Reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems
• Contacting providers as appropriate
• Documenting recommendations and interventions
• Providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies
• Taking health and medication histories
• Performing medication reconciliation
• Providing drug information
• assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations
• Documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs)
• Assisting in medical emergencies
• providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the Grade Requirements above, you must demonstrate the following: 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: 1 year Patient Safety Manager experience
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.