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Summary Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (http://www.hines.va.gov/), located 12 miles west of downtown Chicago on a 147-acre campus, offers primary, extended and specialty care and serves as a tertiary care referral center for VISN 12. Responsibilities Will be responsible for ensuring that Veterans electing to receive Care in the Community (CITC), CHOICE, or CHAMP services, receive the same care as Veterans seen at one of the VA campuses or CBOC's. This includes maintaining compliance with VHA performance metrics and parameters for timeliness in delivery of pharmacy consumables to the Veteran. The incumbent will keep themselves up to date with local and national changes in the Community Care directives and policies, and practice continual improvement within the section to ensure that Pharmacy Clinical Services is compliant in all areas of providing services to Veterans seeking care in the community. The incumbent must be highly organized and demonstrate a concerned and critical attitude toward accuracy, detail, control, and loss management. The incumbent will provide oversight of the Community Care Pharmacy technician and ensure adherence to all applicable policies and timelines. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining professional relationships and collaboration with other service lines involved in providing VA services to Veterans seeking care in the community. This includes, but is not limited to, Prosthetics, Non-VA Care, and General Medical Service (GMS). The Community Care pharmacist be involved in the independent professional practice of pharmacy in accordance with the guidance set forth in Pharmacy Service and Hines Hospital policies and procedures, VA regulations, state laws, and federal laws governing the practice of pharmacy. The Clinical Pharmacist will be under the supervision of the Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor or designee as appropriate. When not specifically assigned to the Community Care Section, the incumbent will function in all general pharmacy duties as assigned and must possess the required knowledge and skills to complete those tasks: 1. Serves as the subject matter expert for all Care in the Community, CHOICE, or CHAMP prescriptions that are requested to be filled through the Outpatient Pharmacy. 2. Completes accurate review of prescriptions for eligibility, compliance, appropriateness of therapy prior to entry and/or verification in the electronic health record and according to all applicable regulations. 3. Accurately reviews and processes all inbound electronic prescriptions, faxes and hardcopies for non-controlled substances entered by the Community Care Pharmacy Technician. 4. Primarily responsible for completing the e-pharmacy queue including following up and resolving all third party issue rejects. 5. Reviews all prior authorization drug requests (PADR) for formulary compliance. Assists with tracking of community care issues and provides follow up to any issues escalated by the Community Care Pharmacy Technician. 6. Communicates with patients concerning prescriptions received from unauthorized provider visits and handles prescriptions appropriately, whether forwarding to primary care provider or returning to patient 7. Provides education to all providers requesting prescriptions through CHOICE, CHAMP, or CITC regarding policies and VA formulary requirements. Tracks and trends all non-formulary requests and approvals and reports any potential noncompliance to the Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor or designee. 8. Enters professional and accurate notes in the electronic health record with regard to status of prescriptions and communication of orders received from community providers. 9. Appropriately signs and/or cosigns notes entered into the electronic health record according to medical bylaw deadlines. 10. Ensures that the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) website is checked to ensure appropriateness of received prescriptions and to prevent duplicate and/or overprescribing of controlled substances and documents in electronic health record. 11. Maintains a current knowledge of national, state, and local laws, regulations, directives, policies, and procedures pertaining to controlled substances. 12. Follows up on any notifications on prescription profiles flagged for abuse potential and notifies Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor if more assistance is needed. 13. Reviews authorized prescriptions for appropriateness using pharmacist knowledge, as well as knowledge concerning the national drug formulary and local VA formulary requirements. 14. Initiates requests for medications from specialty pharmacies, releases medication once delivery confirmation received, files prescription packet appropriately, and communicates with procurement team regarding delivery receipt confirmation. 15. Performs and documents any clinical teaching necessary for patients to be able to administer the medication appropriately and safely. Work Schedule: Work Schedule: Days, nights, weekends and holidays as needed Telework: Not Suitable Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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. 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 dentification 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. 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: (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. 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.) (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). 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. 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. Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist not to exceed 2 years at the GS-11 grade level only. 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 in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS 12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) Experience or Education: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. 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 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): Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. 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/. Physical Requirements: 1. The incumbent must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the duties of this position. 2. The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving sitting or standing for prolonged periods of time, frequent twisting/turning, and bending/stooping. 3. The incumbent must be able to perform lifting/carrying, pushing, or pulling different types of equipment such as cabinets, carts or supplies weighing at minimum 50 pounds through various terrains. 4. This position routinely prepares medications that requires special handling and documentation including but not limited to hazardous drug medications. Must be able to wear appropriate respiratory and other personal protective equipment (i.e., N-95's, PAPRs) as required by policy. 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/. Additional Information 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. 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. 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. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.