Job Summary

The Mental Health (MH) Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice and works independently under their individual scope of practice to directly care for patients and may be assigned to Mental Health Outpatient Clinic, PCMHI, or DRRTP. The primary responsibility of the CPS is the provision of evidence-based pharmaceutical care services through direct care with patients and consultation with other providers on their team.

Job Description

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: Graduate of an accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Licensure: Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States 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, an 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. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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 GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. Advanced skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. Preferred Experience: PGY-1 Residency +/- PGY-2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency. BCPP or BCPS qualified. DEA holder or eligible. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g., use of a computer keyboard, etc.). May require sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours). Normal ranges of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color. Performs tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job.