Associate Service Chief Of Pharmacy (clinical Services)

Associate Chief Of Pharmacy Clinical Services

The Associate Chief of Pharmacy Clinical Services assists the Chief of Pharmacy in planning, directing, and coordinating all aspects of clinical pharmacy services including, but not limited to anticoagulation, Prior Authorization Drug Review (PADR), primary care, specialty care, behavioral health, RRTP, Pharmacoeconomics, and the Pharmacy Residency program.

FUNCTIONS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• Administrative / Supervisory (90%): Coordinates the professional and clinical aspects of the Pharmaceutical Care program. Assures continued accreditation of the Pharmacy Practice Residency. Promotes staff participation in the maintenance and review of Patient Medication Records, Laboratory Tests, Patient Medication Interviews, Chart Reviews, Grand Rounds, Clinical Huddles, and Continuing Education Programs. Develops new clinical programs, the maintenance of appropriate quality patient care and in providing quality assurance assessments and medication usage evaluation, through performance improvement quality assurance programs. Participates as a member of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Facilitates continuous improvement over strategic goals and measures assigned to the committee. Coordinates activities of the CPPs and supervisors reporting to him/her to organize work to maximize the productivity within available resources. Assures that personnel are scheduled in such a way as to provide consistency of coverage and to accommodate planned leave and promote employee morale. Regularly analyzes work measurement data and reports workload, access, productivity, and other metrics in Committees, and as requested. Recruits, interviews, and selects suitable personnel, in collaboration with Human Resources and Pharmacy Leadership, in order to maintain a clinical services staff that can effectively fulfill the needs of clinical services. Provides direct supervision and evaluation to Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners (CPPs), which participate in clinical pharmacy functions. For employees covered by the local bargaining unit contracts, the incumbent is responsible for assuring that all contractual agreements are upheld fairly and uniformly. Incumbent will fully support the practices of all Federal personnel programs; including Equal Employment Opportunity. All personnel management activities including, but not limited to, performance evaluations, incentive awards and disciplinary actions will be completed in an accurate and timely manner. Serves as a reviewing official on evaluations of non-supervisory employees. Institutes policy and procedures to assure high quality clinical, consultative and informational services are provided by pharmacy clinical staff. Develops procedures and for the efficient execution of pharmacy clinical services. Works with other services to complete goals and improve communications. Requires ability to listen effectively to properly identify problems. Provide for action consistent with rules, regulations, and policies. Coordinates development of staff competencies and ensures maintenance of employee competency folders for those under his or her supervision. Maintains effective channels of communications focused on customer service and consistent with VA ICARE values with internal and external pharmacy customers. Internal contacts are to communicate goals, policies/procedures, or strategic action plans to various stakeholders. External contacts are with other healthcare providers, departments, and facilities both within the VA, as well as in the larger healthcare community.
• Clinical (10%) 1. Core functions include face-to-face, video visit, and telephone encounters with referred patients, for comprehensive medication management in practice areas identified in their individual scope of practice. Functions as a provider with a scope of practice to design, implement, and monitor therapeutic drug plans to achieve definite outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in assigned areas. Orders, performs, reviews, and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Follows-up with patients on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy, i.e. changes in medication therapy, monitoring, and additional testing requirements. Clinical pharmacy specialists will determine if a referral to the physician is necessary when disease progression occurs or adverse drug events require treatment interventions outside of the CPP scope of practice.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday

Requirements Conditions of Employment

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.

Qualifications

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.
• 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.

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:

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-13 Experience. In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Associate Service Chief. Responsible for coordinating multiple programs in pharmacy service in a medical facility. Serves as the Acting Service Chief in the absence of the Service Chief. Develops and maintains a system of internal reviews that ensure service programs operate at a satisfactory level of performance and in compliance with regulatory and accrediting bodies. Has extensive responsibility for pharmacy utilization of resources and budget. Makes selections, assigns personnel, and serves as a mentor to help employees develop their full potential.

Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to negotiate to influence clinical and management decisions.
• Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing regarding complex clinical and technical issues.
• Skill in utilizing regulatory and quality standards to develop and implement operational programs.
• Skill in managing multiple people or programs.
• Skill in utilizing available resources to support the mission and goals of the organization.
• Ability to plan, organize, and direct the functions of the pharmacy staff.

Preferred Experience:

• Demonstrated leadership experience in clinical pharmacy practice.
• Board certification in relevant pharmacy specialty (E.G., BCPS, BCACP, BCCCP).
• Proven ability to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based clinical initiatives that improve patient outcomes.
• Experience with interdisciplinary collaboration and participation in healthcare committees or quality improvement initiatives.
• Strong background in regulatory compliance, formulary management, and clinical policy development.
• Prior experience in mentoring, precepting, or training pharmacy staff or residents.
• Familiarity with VA systems and clinical informatics is highly desirable.

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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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/.

Additional Information

This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.