Pharmacist (Clinical Specialist)

This Clinical Pharmacy Specialist position is in the Pharmacy Department at the VA Maine Healthcare System, located at the Augusta, ME location. This position is Full Time at 40 hours per week.

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist serves as a provider with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's scope of practice for the Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner (CPP) in Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) to provide comprehensive medication therapy management (MTM) specifically for patients with Substance Use Disorders (SUD). Duties include, but are not limited to: Verify vaccines and infectious disease screening. Provide medication education and implementing risk mitigation strategies. Perform suicide risk assessment and safety planning. Ensure referral of complex or unstable patients to higher level of care and/or additional behavioral interventions when needed. Prescribe, monitor and adjust non-controlled adjunct medications as needed. Evaluate the adequate treatment of co-morbid conditions that may impact treatment success and outcomes along with assessing for withdrawal symptoms; addressing or providing care management as needed and appropriate to scope of practice. Coordinate, encourage and monitor involvement and participation in psychosocial and psychotherapy as indicated. Communicate with team for next steps and coordination of care which may include ensuring needed appointments are scheduled, triaging unscheduled visits and facilitating urgent appointments with provider team members when necessary. Provides CMM for complex patients with chronic diseases including, but not limited to, opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and tobacco use disorder; orders and interprets labs or other needed test pertinent to CMM care and makes needed referrals. May also treat co-morbid conditions (e.g. mental health conditions, pain conditions, etc.) in alignment with scope of practice. Accepts urgent or same day patient visits including, but not limited to, patient medication review for polypharmacy, recent hospital or emergency department discharges, and co-managed care patients. Determines if a referral to the physician is necessary when disease progression occurs, or adverse drug events require a higher level of treatment intervention. Follows up via face to face, tele-health, e-consults, telephone, secure messaging and other modalities to provide patient care. Reviews patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required. Communicates findings with prescribers and provides appropriate alternatives to current treatment plans as needed. Monitors and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures and in accordance with the VAADERS Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting program. Applies knowledge to interpret laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care, recognizing significant abnormalities, and making dose adjustments or recommendations based on objective laboratory findings. Participates in the training and in-service of medical staff, nursing staff, residents, students and other allied health professionals as required. Serves as an authority on drug usage, interactions, over-dosages, and compliance to medical staff, nursing staff, technicians and students. Uses appropriate references to research drug information. Work Schedule: Full Time - Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized. Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Functional Statement #: F04772 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized Notifications: This position is in an AFGE Bargaining Unit. This position is in the Excepted Service. This position is covered by a special salary rate. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Award SF50's will not be accepted. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.

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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. May be subject to satisfactory completion of our credentialing process. 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.

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/.