Pharmacist-Clinical Specialist

Pharmacist-Clinical Specialist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Fort Thomas, Kentucky

Salary Range: $144507 - $187862 Per Year

Job Summary: The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is looking for a a licensed pharmacist with knowledge and proficiency in anticoagulation. Anticoagulation Services (AC CPS) serves as a clinical pharmacy specialist with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's Scope of Practice and Care Coordination Agreement. This pharmacist promotes and manages anticoagulation therapy based on current clinical knowledge that is consistent with policies established at the national, VISN, and local levels.

Major Duties:

• The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati, OH and Fort Thomas, KY serving 15 counties in Southwest OH, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue, KY; Florence, KY; Lawrenceburg, IN; Hamilton, OH; Clermont County, OH, and Georgetown, OH. The CVAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division. Duties Clinical: Evaluates, prescribes, modifies, or discontinues medication therapy and acts as a consultant for intensive anticoagulation therapy management services working under a scope of practice and care coordination agreement. Develops, implements, documents and maintains Clinical Pharmacy Services in Anticoagulation to ensure timely follow-up for patients with acute and chronic medication management needs. Serves as a subject matter expert resource in anticoagulation for the Medical Center. Additionally, acts as a liaison between Pharmacy Service and PACT, HBPC, and specialty clinics to assist with patients' anticoagulation-related management needs. Works with patients, when indicated, who have been identified as having compliance/adherence issues with their medications by conducting direct patient care encounters, assessing barriers to compliance, and identifying and educating on ways to improve compliance. Works directly with appropriate services, when indicated, including PACT, HBPC, inpatient medical providers, etc., to help ensure continuity of care for patients leaving the hospital or transferring care between different services. Reviews and evaluates requests for non-formulary and restricted drugs (prior authorization) for appropriateness and compliance with established VA National Formulary, current treatment guidelines, criteria for use, and medication use initiatives. Works with providers to ensure compliance with national, VISN, and local initiatives, and promotes and monitors compliance for established drug therapy policies. Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and medication compliance to facility staff. Uses appropriate references to research drug information for providing timely and accurate responses to drug information questions. Participates in the focused and ongoing professional practice (FPPE & OPPE) evaluation process. Attends, participates, and/or contributes as assigned as an active member on a committee, work group; task forces, etc. with a focus on ensuring quality in clinical services. Monitors for and reports medication errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies and patient compliance issues and documents findings per local policy. Education and Research: Serves as a primary clinical preceptor for pharmacy students and pharmacy residents. Provides educational programs to pharmacy and non-pharmacy staff. Assesses and provides for educational needs of the patient and family to help ensure that pharmaceutical outcome goals are met. Provides patients and families with education on necessary lifestyles, preventive medicine and wellness issues to help achieve outcome goals. Designs and/or participates in research activities involving drug therapy or outcome measures. Develops, conducts, and presents the results of medication usage evaluations (MUE) and outcome measures. Completes all assigned training by the due date. Participates in self-development activities to maintain and improve professional competency. Customer Services Requirements: Relationships with management, co-workers, patients, and the general public are consistently courteous, respectful, and cooperative in nature. Employee will display a cooperative attitude and will effectively work together to implement the organization's mission and goals. Employee will ensure productivity is maintained at the established level for the program for which he/she is responsible. The employee is administratively responsible to the Associate Chief, Clinical Programs. The employee is also accountable to the Chief, Pharmacy Service, or his/her designee, for professional licensure, competency, and continuing education. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 5:00 pm (8 hours tours) Telework: AD HOC only, per agency policy discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91426-A 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: a. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. b. 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 Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT). c. 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. c. 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). Grade Determinations: GS13 (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: PGY1 pharmacy residency. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS13. Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary in nature. Work requires moderate lifting, walking, bending, stooping, standing, pushing, and pulling.

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 05/11/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12950755. 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: 2026-05-11