Pharmacist Clinical Specialist

Pharmacist Clinical Specialist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Chico, California, Martinez, California, Mather AFB, California, McClellan, California, Redding, California, Stockton, California

Salary Range: $162378 - $225700 Per Year

Job Summary: The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice and top of licensure and serves as an advanced practice provider working independently with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's practice areabased scope of practice. The CPS provider delivers evidence-based comprehensive medication management (CMM) through direct patient care and as part of the interdisciplinary team providing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) management.

Major Duties:

• Duties include but are not limited to the following: a. Clinical - Direct Patient Care Activities: 1) Functions as an advanced practice provider for comprehensive medication management to achieve defined outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned care area(s). 2) Functions as a care coordinator for patients with SUD as part of an identified interdisciplinary team and offering drug use monitoring and care coordination as well as providing supporting recommendations and motivational interviewing when needed. 3) Functions as part of the interdisciplinary team to assist with screening patients for medication assisted treatment (MAT) which may include, but is not limited to: a. Verifying vaccines and infectious disease screening b. Providing medication education and implementing risk mitigation strategies c. Querying and documenting PDMP information d. Ordering, monitoring and interpreting urine drug screen (UDS) and other needed labs e. Providing overdose education and prescribing naloxone b. Clinical - Indirect Patient Care Activities 1) Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. 2) Monitors and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures and in accordance with the VAADERS Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting program. 3) Reviews relevant population management dashboards to identify patients who may benefit from engagement in care for SUD treatment or risk mitigation. Ensures plans are in place to engage patient in care and offers treatment options that targets positive patient outcomes. 4) Applies knowledge to interpret laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognizing significant abnormalities, and making dose adjustments or recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. 5) Provides input and recommendations as the medication expert on the interdisciplinary team during routine patient care planning or targeted complex or high-risk reviews. c. Educational: 1) Provides formal and informal education and in-services to pharmacy, medical, nursing and other staff as requested. 2) Serves as a subject matter expert for MAT in SUD for assigned committees, workgroups or interdisciplinary teams. 3) Provides education to patients, their families and caregivers about medications, common disease states, patient responsibilities, and information on health promotion. 4) Participates in self-development activities to maintain and strengthen professional competence in SUD treatment and management (example: Buprenorphine X-waiver training for education and training purposes). d. Program Management and Administration: 1) Participates in the appropriate, effective and safe use of pharmaceuticals by contributing to criteria development, data collection, quality assurance and drug use evaluation and other quality improvement activities for core practice area(s) and MAT for SUD. 2) Serves as the pharmacist subject matter expert on assigned SUD related committees and subcommittees. 3) Supports and promotes compliance with established drug therapy policies, formulary management and criteria or prior authorization requirements that have been approved by national, VISN, or local pharmacy benefits management (PBM) and focuses on quality patient care in a cost-effective manner. 4) Participates and facilitates departmental and organizational compliance with The Joint Commission (TJC), Office of General Counsel (OIG), and other applicable regulatory and accreditation regulations and guidelines regarding patient safety and care. 5) Identifies and addresses orientation and training needs to keep aligned with appropriate utilization of the VHA formulary by health care providers. e. Research: (when applicable) 1) Participates in design and/or completion of research studies involving drug therapy, clinical pharmacy functions, or improvements in patient care. 2) Directs and/or participates in the preparation of articles for publication. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday: 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 09005-F

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 (1) 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.) (2) 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 InternetBased 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 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). 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. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:(1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-660 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (3) If a licensed pharmacist who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. 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: (a) Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (b) Assignments. Candidates at this grade level are to be in one of the assignments listed below. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. 1. Clinical Pharmacy Specialist. The clinical pharmacy specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice, works independently under their scope of practice as defined by the individual medical center to directly care for patients. A CPS plays a defined role in budgetary execution and serves as a mid-level provider who functions to initiate, modify or discontinue medication therapy and as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: designing, implementing, assessing, monitoring and documenting therapeutic plans utilizing the most effective, least toxic and most economical medication treatments; helping achieve positive patient centric outcomes through direct and indirect interactions with patients, providers, and interdisciplinary teams in assigned areas; performing physical assessments; and ordering laboratory and other tests to help determine efficacy and toxicity of medication therapy. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. e. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters Preferred Experience: Completion of a PGY1 and PGY2 in relevant specialty area, or equivalent 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

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 12/05/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12830954. 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: 2025-12-05