Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient

Summary

Pharmacy technicians at this level are nationally certified and can work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties at the VHASLC HCS. These pharmacy technicians mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting. They assist advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives.. At this level, pharmacy technicians use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Medication Management System:

• Reads and interprets, medication orders and ADC restock requests, obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form, determines proper amount and counts, pours, or measures the medications; affixes proper label; and records required data on Pharmacy's copy of prescription/order. After a final check by a pharmacist, dispenses medication in Medical Care Facility, CBOC's or discharge situations. For unit-dose medications, performs final review of prepacked or manufactured packed medication when pulled for delivery by another technician. Medications dispensed to inpatient areas (Patient medication container, ward stock), and/or ADM fills independently without secondary review when necessary. Prepares inpatient drug orders including all medicinal dosage forms such as Hazardous, chemotherapy, intravenous admixtures, oral solids, etc., according to established procedures and protocols.
• Inventories and replenishes emergency carts.
• Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as required.
• Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment.
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral, topical and non-IV medications (non-sterile).
• After prescription/order(s) are reviewed by a pharmacist for therapeutic propriety, reviews orders for technical accuracy and converts the order, if necessary, so that the item dispensed corresponds to the drug and dose ordered.
• Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution.
• Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessment and action team and continually seeks to improve services.
• Conducts periodic ward inspection of patient care areas and identifying any issues to supervisor.
• Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdates in patient care area and automated machines.
• Monitors inventory needs in-patient care areas, relays this information to the appropriate Pharmacy personal.
• Maintains a training/education competencies for the area assigned. Supports training to new or existing staff so that these competencies are maintained.
• Monitors refrigerator and freezer temperature on a daily basis in pharmacy and address any issues with medication refrigerators or freezer that have fallen out of range by alerting Supervisor.
• Assists with inventory management and ordering of medicines when medications have fallen below par levels or increased use indicated.
• Performs all the duties of lower graded technicians, if required.

General Duties: As deemed necessary by the pharmacy supervisor, assists in other patient care areas (including outpatient pharmacy services) to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services.

Controlled Substances:

• Preparing and filling all inpatient and outpatient orders and requests for controlled substances.
• Receives new stock and returned stock into inventory by ensuring the accuracy of controlled drug records.
• Helps to conduct regularly scheduled inventories and interacts with controlled substance inspection officials.
• Is authorized and executes authority to initiate and complete all orders for controlled drugs, including local requirements, VACO directives, DEA requirements (including completing DEA forms), and other state and local requirements that apply.
• Monitors and analyzes orders and distribution patterns to identify questionable circumstances or unusual trends. Communicates potential problems to supervisor.
• Provides controlled substance training for technicians, pharmacists, inspectors, students, etc.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm, rotating nights, weekends and holidays.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 59930A

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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.
• 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.

Qualifications

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: Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
• Education or Experience:
  
  
  • None required.
  • For all grade levels and positions that accept both education and experience to qualify, equivalent combinations of qualifying education and experience that total at least 100% are qualifying. The combined percentage is determined by adding total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level to the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level.
• Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  
  
  • (1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR
  • (2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

Grade Determinations:

Pharmacy Technician, GS-07.

• Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-6.
  
  
  • Assignments GS-6: Pharmacy technicians at the full performance level may fill orders, dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs. Duties will include delivery of medications to floors/patients, filling medications for the pharmacist to review, checking for expired medications, answering phones with appropriate disposition, preparing sterile products (when applicable) and assisting with basic inventory management such as putting up stock and identifying when medications need to be ordered.
• Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  
  
  • (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR
  • (b) NHA as a ExCPT.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a) Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.

(b) Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.

(c) Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.

(d) Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.

(e) Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.

(f) Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

Preferred Experience: Previous Pharmacy Technician experience.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.