Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) functions in the operations section of the Pharmacy service line and will use their knowledge of current developments in field of pharmacy to develop, implement, and coordinate clinical pharmacy and medication safety initiatives to ensure safe appropriate medication use processes for patients while providing clinical, organizational, educational, and administrative services for the pharmacy department.

Duties

A Clinical Pharmacy Specialist is responsible for planning, implementing and operating the medicine drug monitoring and utilization programs. He/she is the internal medicine expert in all areas related to medications utilized in general medicine patient care areas and functions as a consultant to other health care professionals. The incumbent 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. Duties include, but not limited to: Program Management Communicates orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decision. Maintains expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. Solves problems, coordinates and organizes responsibilities to maximize outcomes in by formulary management. Maintains expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. Develops, upgrades, and disseminates acceptable criteria for the use of non-formulary medications and other high-cost medications and products to ensure cost-effective therapy without compromising the overall quality of patient care. Utilizes specialized knowledge of drug therapies to critically review non-formulary drug requests according to criteria for use for appropriateness, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Utilizes evidence-based decision making. Conducts prospective/retrospective drug use evaluations of high-use, high cost, or high-risk drugs. Prepares and reports data, makes recommendations for corrective action, and develops education programs/interventions that would alter suboptimal prescribing or work patterns per established processes. Assists with managing drug shortages, conversions, and recalls affecting inpatient, outpatient, and CMOP Pharmacy. Clinical Practice Maintains advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameter. Evaluates orders for appropriateness and drug interactions, allergies and adverse reactions, and duplicate therapy. Accountable for medication reconciliation according to facility policy. Demonstrates competence in differentiating individual patient pharmaceutical care needs based on patient age from adult (18-64) through geriatric (65+ ). Verifies accuracy and appropriateness of medication orders and prescriptions during order finishing. Consults with medical center staff when there are questions concerning therapeutic or policy matters regarding outpatient prescriptions. Assures the accuracy of drug dispensing of medications based upon Veteran's history and medication profile review, good clinical practice, and other pertinent factors. This includes (but is not limited to) data entry into the computer, screening orders for drug-drug and drug-food interactions, dosing errors, allergies, incompatibilities, contraindications, and formulary availability. Clinical Education and Scholarly Activities: Serves as a preceptor and shares responsibility for training, guidance and evaluation of Ambulatory Care Students when applicable. Serves as a preceptor/trainer for visiting healthcare professionals or students who want to broaden their knowledge and skills and/or establish their own clinical practice in the designated practice area. Assumes an active role in staff development of peers and provides educational opportunities to nursing, medical staff and to other ancillary services. Presents at local, state, regional or national meetings. Administrative Support and Customer Service Serves as a resource between Pharmacy Service and all health care providers. Provides leadership on facility committees when requested. Ensures that VA, hospital, and service policies are followed. Maintains excellent working relationship with department and organization staff. Provides prompt and personal attention to each patient. Responds to request for assistance from patients, families, and staff in a friendly and cooperative manner. Performs other duties as assigned by management. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Central Standard Time Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:PD02154F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. 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 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; Verifies accuracy and appropriateness of medication orders and prescriptions during order finishing. Consults with medical center staff when there are questions concerning therapeutic or policy matters regarding outpatient prescriptions. Assures the accuracy of drug dispensing of medications based upon Veteran's history and medication profile review, good clinical practice, and other pertinent factors. This includes (but is not limited to) data entry into the computer, screening orders for drug-drug and drug-food interactions, dosing errors, allergies, incompatibilities, contraindications, and formulary availability.

Qualifications and evaluation

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13029611. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 08/21/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: License Resume Transcript Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field. Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field. The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc. DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.