Associate Service Chief-Pharmacy Operations

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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f) 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. 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: Associate Service Chief-Pharmacy Operations GS-14 Experience: In addition to the GS-13 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13). Assignment: Responsible for coordinating multiple programs in pharmacy service in a medical facility. Serves as the Acting Service Chief in the absence of the Service Chief. Develops and maintains a system of internal reviews that ensure service programs operate at a satisfactory level of performance and in compliance with regulatory and accrediting bodies. Responsible for pharmacy utilization of resources and budget. Makes selections, assigns personnel, and serves as a mentor to help employees develop their full potential. Functions include but are not limited to the following description: ADMINISTRATIVE & PROGRAM MANAGEMENT Assists in maintaining close liaison with clinical and administrative services while assisting in the overall responsibility to monitor all VACT (Medical Center and Outpatient Clinic) programs and reporting to the Chief, Pharmacy Service potential service and resource requirements. Effectively organizes, directs, manages and controls all inpatient and outpatient activities, plans short and long range objectives, solves problems, and achieves results within budgetary and staffing constraints. Promotes sound and economical personnel management reviews, identifying duties and responsibilities, and justifying personnel needs that are based on current programs and workload requirements. Coordinates with the Chief, Pharmacy Service, pharmacy supervisors and Program Managers Pharmacy Informatics in overseeing security for the pharmacy. Coordinates with the Program Manager-Inventory Management to maintain effective control accountability throughout the fiscal year. Provides accurate information to the Chief, Pharmacy Service regarding annual budgetary needs. This includes applying accounting principles and methods to trend drug budget growth and to manage the budget in a fiscally responsible manner. Manages effective quality assurance and performance improvement programs for the entire Pharmacy Service through close coordination with the Chief, Pharmacy Service and Associate Chiefs. Assures all VA and Federal regulatory, Joint Commission and ASHP standards are met, as well as any other applicable standards. Fosters an environment supportive of continuous quality improvement and teamwork, which increases quality of service, enhances morale, strengthens employees’ appreciation of their value to the organization, and results in increased productivity, customer satisfaction and employee retention. Develops and strengths skills that will enhance the quality of service provided to those whom we service – the patients, other employees, and the community. CLINICAL PATIENT CARE SKILLS Provides care based on physical, psychosocial, educational, safety, and related criteria, appropriate to the age of the patients served in the assigned areas (i.e. adult and geriatric populations). This entails a knowledge of human growth and development; ability to assess and interpret age specific data and provide age specific care; communication skills necessary to interpret age specific responses to treatment; and ability to involve family/ significant others in decision making related to plan of care. The knowledge, abilities, and skills needed to provide such care will be refined through continuing education and training and experience. MEDICATION DISPENSING AND DISTRIBUTION Performs all pharmacy distributive functions according to the VHA and local policies to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical services in a timely fashion to meet the needs of our patients and medical center staff. EDUCATION AND TRAINING Creates an environment to stimulate, encourage and support the participation of pharmacy personnel in providing drug information to the hospital staff and other facilities as deemed appropriate. Completes all mandatory training as required by local, VISN and national mandates within established timeframes and submits documentation of training to the Pharmacy Service Administrative Assistant. Assures timely completion of all internally assigned employee education modules as presented via Talent Management Service (TMS). Attends and actively participates in pharmacy activities, i.e. staff development, pharmacy meetings, residency advisory meetings, etc. SAFETY The Associate Chief will work safely in performing all assigned tasks, being mindful to follow applicable safety rules and regulations and reporting all unsafe acts, conditions and personal injuries to the supervisor immediately. The Associate Chief will attend safety training and continuing education as required. In addition, he/she will demonstrate knowledge of roles and responsibilities regarding Medical Center and Service safety management plans. The Associate Chief will maintain the security of the Pharmacy, making sure that only Pharmacy employees, residents, volunteers, students or other authorized VA employees are allowed access into the Pharmacy areas. Preferred Experience: Supervisory experience. Serves as a technical expert in pharmacy operations and resource for pharmaceutical matters. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting and carrying; straight pulling; pushing; reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking; standing; repeated bending; both legs required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously.
The Associate Service Chief-Pharmacy Operations position is located at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, Connecticut.