The Pharmacy Service Chief is responsible for the planning, directing, controlling, evaluating, and administration of all facets of pharmaceutical care and pharmacy operations. The Chief represents the Medical Center Pharmacy Service in medical center and community activities. He/she serves as management consultant on all matters within the purview of agency-wide pharmaceutical policies and formulates advanced overall operating plans for pharmaceutical services.

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. ( 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.

English Language Proficiency:

Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) 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 :

Experience:

In addition to the basic requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level

Grade Level Criteria:

At the GS-15 level, Chiefs of Pharmacy must meet the following: 1 . Individuals are assigned as Chiefs of Pharmacy at Complexity Level 1a, 1b or 1c VHA facilities; or 2. Individuals are assigned as Chief of Pharmacy at Complexity Levels 2 or 3 and must meet the criteria noted in 2a and b below. a. Must meet all of the following requirements: (1) Manages a complex medical center based pharmacy program that is defined as having multiple practice settings (e.g. hospital ambulatory care, long-term care, behavior health care) that require Joint Commission review as separate standards. (2) In addition to the medical center pharmacy, has responsibility for pharmacy services at one or more of the following: CBOCs, Rural Health Program, domiciliary, or provides dispensing and/or clinical services to State Veterans Home. (3) Presence of advanced clinical pharmacy programs that include pharmacist(s) that have approved scopes of practice with prescriptive privileges. (4) Pharmacy provides clinical pharmacist services to three (3) or more specialty areas such as, but not limited to, hemodialysis, oncology, operating room or an emergency department. b. In addition to the requirements listed in 2a above, must meet at least two of the following: (1) An ASHP Accredited Pharmacy Residency Program. (2) A Research Program that is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). (3) Actively involved in committees or advisory/work groups at the VISN and/or National level. (4) An ongoing pharmacy student rotation in both the intermediate and advanced practice experience settings

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Skill in persuading others and gaining cooperation to accomplish goals. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing regarding complex clinical and technical issues. Skill in utilizing regulatory and quality standards to develop and implement operational programs. Skill in managing multiple people or programs. Skill in utilizing available resources to support the missions and goals of the organization. Ability to plan, organize and direct the functions of the pharmacy staff

Reference:

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ . The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-15 . The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-15.

Physical Requirements:

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Deviations:

Under no circumstances will the educational requirement be waived. Under no circumstances will the licensure requirement be waived above the GS-11 level.