Facility Program Manager - Pharmacy Medication Safety

Pharmacist Facility Program Manager - Medication Safety

The Pharmacy Program Manager for Medication Safety is responsible for collecting and analyzing technology and information to improve clinical care, ensure patient safety, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of medication management processes and Pharmacy services.

Major duties

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Duties include, but are not limited to:

Medication Safety:

1. Responsible for planning, coordinating, and managing the Pharmacy Service medication safety program. Collaborates with Pharmacy Service staff and other healthcare staff to identify process improvement opportunities, implement changes, and assess effectiveness and impacts of those changes.
2. Manages data collection, analysis, and review of medication safety events and processes, including medication-related patient safety events reported in the Joint Patient Safety Reporting (JPSR) system or through other platforms. Investigates and performs tracer activities with staff to identify causation, systems issues, performance issues, clinical judgement concerns, and to develop quality improvement solutions in collaboration with staff and leadership. Collaborate with staff and leadership to revise policies, procedures, protocols, SOPs, etc., to reflect change and provide education and training when necessary.
3. Reviews information and data from the VA ADERS and FDA MedWatch systems for medication safety improvement opportunities.
4. Reviews information and resources published by the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS), PBM, the Center for Medication Safety (VA MedSAFE), the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), and other to develop strategies to incorporate into practice and provide education and training to Pharmacy Service staff and other healthcare staff as necessary.
5. Collaborates with Pharmacy Service leadership, facility clinical leadership, and facility Patient Safety Manager to resolve medication safety issues and ensure that processes for prescribing, dispensing, and monitoring medication therapy minimize the potential for errors and adverse events.
6. Assists with the completion of medication use evaluations. Reviews and analyzes data to prepare recommendations to influence and improve prescribing and medication use.
7. Assists with the review and revision of Pharmacy Service and facility policies, procedures, protocols, standard operating procedures (SOPs), etc., to ensure compliance with facility policies, VHA Directives, VHA Handbooks, and regulatory agency requirements.
8. Collaborates with Pharmacy procurement staff and Pharmacy management to address medication and supply recalls, patient safety announcements, and patient safety notifications.
9. Utilizes continuous quality improvement strategies and principles to detect and define problems. Actively works to implement corrective actions and quality improvement initiatives.
10. Serves as a Pharmacy Service representative on committees, subcommittees, workgroups, or taskforces relating to medication safety as assigned. Such as presenting medication safety items through Safe Medication Use Subcommittee and Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.
11. May serve as a preceptor to Pharmacy trainees (e.g., Pharmacy Residents, Pharmacy Students) on medication safety-related topics or areas of practice.

Clinical Pharmacist:

1. Follows the responsibilities and performs the duties defined for a clinical pharmacist, when necessary, to ensure the safe and appropriate use of medications and be an advocate of rational medication therapy.

Education:

1. Provides oral and/or written communication with other health care professionals regarding medication therapy selection and management. This includes, but is not limited to, assisting with formulary product selection and pharmacokinetic monitoring and dosing.
2. Provides patient and health care professional education and medication information.
3. Maintains basic knowledge of pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics in their area of practice.
4. Provides feedback to Pharmacy Supervisors regarding education needs of Pharmacy Service staff.
5. Assumes an active role in the overall Pharmacy training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members. Conducts on-the-job training and provides guidance through designated programs.
6. Keeps informed of new developments in Pharmacy practice and medication therapy by reading Pharmacy and medical literature and participates in continuing education programs.
7. Completes required VA specific education training and other assigned VA specific education training within the established deadline for completion.
8. Reviews new and revised facility and service line specific policies and procedures within the established deadline for completion.
9. Maintains current Pharmacist licensure, registration and certification as required.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 730am-415pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Qualifications

All requirements must be met by the close date of this announcement, 10/21/2026.

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 (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy. 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 InternetBased 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.

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: GS-13 Facility Program Manager

Experience: In addition to the GS-12 requirements, must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. The GS-12 requirements include:

1. Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice.
2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff.
3. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security.
4. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters.

AND Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. b. Expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for their program area. c. Ability to solve problems, coordinate and organize responsibilities to maximize outcomes in their program area or area of clinical expertise. d. Expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of pharmacy. e. Advanced 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/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Grandfathering Provision. All licensed pharmacists employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-660 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration, that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (3) If a licensed pharmacist who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Education

Important: A transcript must be submitted with your application. 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/.

Requirements

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. 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.