Clinical Pharmacist Specialist - Neurology

Clinical Pharmacist Specialist - Neurology

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Salary Range: $139115 - $180852 Per Year

Job Summary: The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is seeking a Clinical Pharmacist Specialist in Neurology for the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center-University Drive facility. The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist supports the management of headache disorders as well as other neurologic conditions, including Parkinson's disease, myasthenia gravis, seizure disorders, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist is responsible for assessing and promoting medication adherence, providing patient education, managing blood pressure and heart rate, initiating and titrating prophylactic and therapeutic medications, evaluating treatment plans, performing drug regimen reviews, assessing drug-drug interactions, monitoring labs and medications, coordinating intravenous medication infusions, and conducting post-discharge follow-up. Having the CPP perform these essential duties alongside existing neurology practitioners will support clinic expansion, patient outreach, and care retention within a rapidly growing VA population. The incumbent is expected to travel only between the main VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System facilities. Additional include but are not limited to the following: Reviewing patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required and communicates findings with other relevant staff when applicable. Performing patient care activities directly or indirectly with the healthcare team across various care modalities. Assisting with Medication Use Evaluations (MUE) and other Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee related activities. Participating in the training and in-servicing of pharmacists, technicians, students, residents, and other medical center personnel, including the development of educational materials. Supporting Pharmacy Service's quality assurance (QA) program and maintaining QA data for their clinical focus area. Participating in interdisciplinary care teams and committees to improve the quality of patient care, as well as the MUE process through proactive identification of problem areas, criteria development, analysis of findings, and recommendation of follow up actions that are deemed necessary. Documenting adverse drug events in electronic medical record and assists with updating VA Adverse Drug Event Reporting System (VA ADERS). Analyzing data and completes reports, including clinical care reviews (peer) reviews, according to established facility policy. Preparing and presenting reports for the P&T Committee and others in a timely, accurate, and proactive manner. Meeting with providers regularly, in brief one-on-one and/or small group meetings, to discuss guidelines, review their prescribing profiles, and educate on relevant, newly published clinical literature. Delivering lectures or in-service presentations related to clinical practice guidelines upon request. Monitoring outcomes of programs, including cost-containment (savings and avoidance), healthcare resource utilization, and clinical patient information through various tools. Continually scans and evaluates new literature, clinical evidence, and pricing changes to improve care and cost-containment initiatives. Providing guidance and methods for improving the quality of patient care and healthcare resources utilization. Offering specialty consultation support within the CPP's assigned clinical area. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. Education: Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. 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). 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 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). 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: GS-13 Clinical Pharmacist Specialist Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Such as 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. Please note 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). In addition to the above experience requirement, candidates must also demonstrate the below knowledge, skills, and abilities (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: PGY1 pharmacy residency and/or PGY2 Neurology residency experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/08/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12948998. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-08