Pharmacist Clinical Specialist - Charlotte, United States - Department Of Veterans Affairs

Description

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (CPS) functions at the highest level of clinical practice and top of licensure and serves as an advanced practice provider working independently with prescribing privileges as outlined in the individual's practice area-based scope of practice. The CPS provider delivers evidence-based comprehensive medication management (CMM) through direct patient care and as part of the interdisciplinary PACT/Primary Care team.

Duties

VA Careers - Pharmacy:

Duties include but are not limited to:

Clinical - Direct Patient Care Activities:

• Functions as an advanced practice provider for CMM services to achieve defined outcomes through direct interactions with patients and providers in PACT/Primary Care teams.
• Functions as part of the interdisciplinary Primary Care/PACT team at the location to provide CMM for pain management which may include, but is not limited to; prescribes, monitors and adjusts medications related to chronic disease state and pain management; obtains and documents informed consent for treatments and procedures that require consent; obtains pertinent medical history and obtains accurate chronic disease state and pain medication related history from patient and via chart review; orders, monitors, and interprets necessary labs, including toxicology screens; implements follow-up on treatment actions as supported by lab interpretations; performs rating scales on pain control, symptoms and functional status; queries and documents PDMP findings; provides overdose education and prescribes naloxone when needed; provides patient and/or caregiver instructions and education; uses available population health tools to identify and address risk mitigation needs focused on safe pain care; performs suicide risk assessment; screens for substance use disorders when indicated, performs brief interventions when indicated, including addressing aberrant behaviors; ensures referral of complex or unstable patients to higher level care, when needed; address other care needs and refers patients to other services for other needed care, as deemed appropriate (e.g., mental health/PC Behavioral Health, physical therapy, yoga, etc.); communicates with team for next steps and coordination of care, when necessary.
• In addition to pain management, provides CMM for complex patients with chronic diseases including, but not limited to, alcohol misuse/use disorder and tobacco misuse/use disorder; orders and interprets labs or other needed tests pertinent to CMM and makes needed referrals.

• Review's patient medication regimens for clinical effectiveness, drug selection, dosing, contraindications, side effects, potential drug interactions, and therapeutic outcomes as required.
• 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.
• Provides input and recommendations as the pain medication expert on the interdisciplinary pain management team during routine patient care planning or targeted complex or high-risk reviews.
• Assists the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee with medication use evaluations and other safety initiatives, as needed.

• 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.
• Has a good working knowledge of information resources, both written and electronic.