Summary
The Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist works independently at the highest level of clinical practice within Ambulatory Care within the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System as an integral part of the interdisciplinary healthcare team. The mid-level provider with an advanced scope of practice functions to initiate, modify, or discontinue medication therapy and serves as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services within their practice area.
Responsibilities
Preferred candidates will possess a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree with residency training or equivalent experience. Practice sites to include, but are not limited to, rheumatology and cardiology-hypertension clinics along with other clinical ambulatory care practice areas as assigned. Promotes the appropriate economical, safe, and effective use of medication therapy through maintaining independent ambulatory care clinical pharmacy practice sites. Maintains collaborative and comprehensive medication therapy management clinics and services in designated areas of service, under a scope of practice. This shall include physical assessment, ordering lab and diagnostic tests necessary to manage medication therapy, referring patients to appropriate health care providers as needed, performing patient triage functions and independently initiating, adjusting and discontinuing medications. Delivers direct care to patients through a variety of modalities which may include but are not limited to: face-to-face, telephone, video/telehealth, e-consults, shared medical appointments, drop-in group medical appoints, group education classes and/or secured messaging interactions. Documents encounters and clinical decisions in CPRS progress notes. Responds to alerts sent by other members of the health care team. Maintains a collaborative case management relationship with registered nurse/care managers and nurse practitioners within designated practice areas. The CPS will provide appropriate independent medication changes including initiation, adjustment and discontinuation for patients seen and evaluated then presented to the CPS and deemed to be within the CPS scope of practice for disease state management. Provides medication extensions when prescribing provider is not available. Provides professional consultative services related to their designated area of practice, to other health care providers. Professional consultative services include but are not limited to extensive drug information services, formulary management, and medication recommendations. Functions independently in day to day clinical and administrative duties associated with the position, consulting with higher level ambulatory care and pharmacy supervisors only when required. In general, uses a high degree of professional judgment to solve complex problems which routinely arise throughout the work day. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Qualifications
- COVERAGE. Requirements for appointment as a Licensed Pharmacist in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are as follows: 2. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. 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. (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. 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. d. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. e. 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 REQUIREMENTS. a. Creditable Experience. (1) Knowledge of Professional Pharmacy Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with professional pharmacy practice. Professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional or unlicensed graduate pharmacist as defined by the appropriate licensing board. (2) 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). (3) Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy experience at the next lower level. Experience as a Graduate Pharmacist is creditable provided the candidate was used as a professional pharmacist (under supervision) and subsequently passed the appropriate licensure examination. (4) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional pharmacist is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacist employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. b. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level): (a) Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1. One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program.(b) Assignment. A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. These include, but are 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 su