Veterans Health Administration Logo
Position Title
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Mental Health
Agency
Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number
CBTG-33295-1180829-23-WLH Opens in new window
Open Period
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 to Monday, February 13, 2023
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
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2. Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
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3. Are you a current/past/upcoming VHA Health Professions Trainee (HPT) Graduate?

An HPT may be VA-paid, Without Compensation (WOC), or a participant of the VA Health Professional Scholarship Program that has been appointed to a temporary position in one or more VHA medical facilities performing clinical or research training experience to satisfy program or degree requirements.

To verify your standing as a current/past/upcoming HPT graduate, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50), the FL-294 (or a WOC appointment letter).
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Preferences
1. Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?

If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
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Resume Reminder- Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
  • Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
  • Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
  • Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
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Accuracy of Application Reminder:
By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).
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Assessment 1
Select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of education and/or experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience and education are subject to verification by investigation. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience or education as proof to support your answers, or you may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task. (limit characters)
DEFINITIONS.
(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.
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The following are the basic requirements for appointment as a Licensed Pharmacist in Veterans Health Administration (VHA): (limit characters)
English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). (limit characters)
1. Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English?
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Physical Requirements: In accordance with VA Directive 5019, it is a requirement for the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct a pre-placement medical evaluation or examination to determine the physical, cognitive and emotional fitness of a candidate before being appointed. An examination is required in any conversion action from a status or position not requiring a physical examination to one requiring such procedures. A pre-placement examination is also required when an employee changes positions or duties that have different physical requirements or medical standards from their prior/current position. (limit characters)
2. I understand the VA's required pre-placement medical evaluation or examination policy, and
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3. Basic Education Requirement. Selection the options that best describes your basic education requirements for this position.
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Pharmacists within the VHA must meet the following licensure requirement of a 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 a 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.
NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. § 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification.
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4. Regarding your Licensure, select the answer that best represents you: (limit characters)
Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements listed above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade for the Pharmacist Clinical Specialist, GS-0660-13. Clinical Pharmacist 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 (limit characters)
To qualify for the Clinical Pharmacist Specialist, GS-13, you must one year experience equivalent to the GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist as described below: GS-12 assignment is a pharmacist that 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 substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); assisting in medical emergencies; providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs):
(1.) Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
(2.) Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
(3.) Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
(4.) Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.
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5. For your GS-13 experience, select the option that best describes you. (limit characters)
In addition to the experience, a Clinical Pharmacist Specialist, must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (Which must be clearly documented in your resume).
(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.
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6. Can you demonstrate the GS-13, Clinical Pharmacist Specialist KSAs listed above?
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Certification of Understanding - Select the appropriate answer to the statement below. Failure to provide an answer will result in your not being considered for this position. (limit characters)
7. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the information included in this questionnaire is true, correct, and provided in good faith. I understand that if I make an intentional false statement, or commit deception or fraud in this application and its supporting materials, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, I may be fined or imprisoned (18 U.S.C. 1001); my eligibilities may be cancelled; I may be denied an appointment; or I may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5 C.F.R. part 731). I understand that any information I give may be investigated and that responding "No" or providing no response to this item will result in my not being considered for this position.
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ALTHOUGH NOT REQUIRED, ITS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT APPLICANTS COMPLETE THEIR RESUME' USING THE USAJOBS RESUME' BUILDER.
Resume must include how to contact you phone number and email address.
Your resume must include your state pharmacist licensure(s) information such as state, license number, issue date, and expire date. (You must provide a copy of your license when you apply, see required documents.) 
Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: (REQUIRED)
(1.) Employer's Name
(2.) Employer's City and State
(3.) Job title (Federal/Military jobs must be separated by title and grade level(s))
(4.) Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
(5.) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week...i.e. 40 hours per week, 32 hours per week, 20 hours per week, etc.
(6.) Duties (be as detailed as possible) Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we can fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We do not make assumptions regarding your qualifications. Details of your experience and clearly document your ability to demonstrate the KSAs of grade level you are applying for.

We do not make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
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8. I have read and understand the requirements for a complete resume. Failure to follow the instruction for a complete resume will result in NOT being referred.
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Transcript Reminder - If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you MUST SUBMIT a copy of your TRANSCRIPTS with your application. Diplomas are NOT suitable substitutions for your transcripts and will not be accepted. (REQUIRED) (limit characters)
VA form 10-2850C - Application for Associated Health Occupations is a (REQUIRED) document. This document must be completed and signed and dated where indicated. Failure to submit this completed document will render the applicant ineligible for consideration. You may print the form, complete, sign and date it then either scan it to USAJOBS document and follow the instructions to attach it to you application or you may fax it following the faxing instruction in the HOW TO APPLY section of the vacancy announcement. (limit characters)
Important note regarding documenting eligibility. To be considered for this position as a facility or current VA employee or federal employee, you must provide your most recent SF-50. Failure to provide you most current SF-50 may result in not being referred. (limit characters)
9. I have read and understand the requirements for a complete application. Failure to follow the instruction and failure to provide the required documents will result in NOT being referred.
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