Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (PACT) Primary Care

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (Primary Care - Patient Aligned Care Teams) is a licensed pharmacist having completed a pharmacy practice and/or specialty residency or with other directly relevant equivalent clinical experience and will be encouraged to hold or pursue active board certification in an appropriate pharmaceutical specialty. The incumbent is responsible for general clinical pharmacy support of the Primary Care clinics, including directing formulary use, cross-coverage of pharmacy managed clinics, and assuring compliance with national performance measures, and will also serve as a pharmacist provider assisting physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants in active pharmacotherapy management of individual patients. Duties include and are not limited to: Clinical: 1. Develops and maintains an in-depth clinical knowledge of common ambulatory care chronic disease state management including pharmacotherapy, laboratory, monitoring, and outcomes management. 2. Assists in the global and daily administration of the medical center Pharmacotherapy Clinics. 3. Assists in prescription review and patient education of assigned PACT and Primary Care patients. 4. Develops professional relationships with non-pharmacy clinical personnel, and projects the highest level of pharmacy practice and competence. 5. Monitors and manages patient medication therapy utilizing advanced skills in physical assessment, pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. 6. Provides direction to primary care providers on national formulary management issues including compliance with national pharmacy performance measures. 7. Designs and performs relevant drug use evaluations under direction of the PACT Pharmacy Supervisor and/or Associate Chief of Pharmacy, Clinical and Educational Services. Participates in research studies in ambulatory care area as assigned. Distributive: 1. All inpatient/outpatient medication orders are checked to include patient information, correct medication, dose, route, and frequency of administration. Orders are checked for patient allergies, drug interactions, incompatibilities, duplication, and priority. 2. Identifies, interprets, and resolves prescribing and dispensing issues including pharmacotherapeutic and formulary issues. Documents interventions as necessary. 3. Dispenses controlled substances with accuracy according to current policy and procedures and federal statutes, if applicable. Education: 1. Serves as a role model and preceptor to pharmacy students and residents. Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational opportunities to nursing, medical staff or to other ancillary services. 2. Participates in formal and informal educational programs of the service. 3. The clinical pharmacy specialist is responsible for maintaining his/her professional competency by keeping abreast of current medical and pharmaceutical literature, new drugs and therapies, and applies this knowledge in his/her daily duties. Administrative: 1. Acts as a liaison between pharmacy and the internal medicine and specialty clinic professional and administrative personnel. 2. Actively assures that policy and procedures of the Service and medical center are followed. 3. Assists the Chief of Pharmacy, Associate Chief of Pharmacy - Clinical & Educational Services, and pharmacy supervisors in developing policies and procedures. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 07:45 am-04:30 pm. Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 61201-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

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 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 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 Tect (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. English Language Proficiency: Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). In addition to the basic requirements listed above, the below qualification requirements must be met. Grade Determinations: GS-13 Clinical Pharmacy Specialist(PACT) Primary Care Experience. Must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that includes: (Must be documented on your resume). 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 Full Performance 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. 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. Physical Requirements: Applicants must be able to perform the following duties: light lifting; Walking or standing for up to 8-hours; Must possess visual acuity to read typed print; Keen hearing (aids permitted).The loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated by satisfactory use of prosthesis.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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 09/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13053953. 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.