Supervisory Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient

The Inpatient Pharmacy Technician Supervisor will spend at least 25% of their time performing supervisory functions. The Technician Supervisor will also be responsible for inventory management, database maintenance, maintenance and care of automation equipment and adherence to operational, regulatory, and quality assurance standards. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Technician Supervisor must have an extensive knowledge of facility's pharmacy policies and procedures and the use of specialized equipment. The Technician Supervisor will communicate with VISN and facility leadership and staff when deemed appropriate and necessary. FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: The Inpatient Pharmacy Technician Supervisor functions within any area of the inpatient or outpatient pharmacy, vault, clean room, clinic, procedural area, operating room, and inpatient wards both within the facility and at off-site locations. Customer Service Treat patients, team members, other facility employees and visitors with dignity and respect. Responds to the needs of the Veteran and staff in a courteous and timely manner. Demonstrate appropriate and proactive interpersonal skills to achieve the goals of the service. Act as a team member and always supports the group's efforts. Demonstrate an ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality of care. Pharmacy Operations Maintain competence in compounded sterile preparations and compounded hazardous medications, including appropriate preparation, stability, handling, beyond use dating, and disposal. Maintain competence in all operational aspects of pharmacy service including specialty equipment and materials, automation, distribution, labeling, packaging, dispensing documentation, controlled substance accountability, procurement, and inventory management. Ensure databases are updated with new or outdated products. Troubleshoot in the event of equipment or associated software malfunction, work with vendors and internal services to solve problems. Maintain ordering officer designations and knowledge of VA formulary and VA contractual requirements for procurement; order medications and supplies to meet anticipated patient care requirements; manage drug shortages and avoid waste. Serve as a backup for all department procurement activities. Perform all annual inventory functions in the inpatient pharmacy. Ensure medication recalls are handled appropriately. Ensure the IV compounding areas are operating within specifications, or appropriate corrective action is taken. Create and maintain all SOPs for equipment used in the inpatient pharmacy (MedCarousel, Omnicell cabinets, IVX camera system, unit dose medication packager) Supervisory Activities Train, schedule, and supervise all pharmacy technicians and students, ensure all pharmacy policies and procedures are followed and maximize efficiency. Perform all performance appraisals for technical staff Train pharmacists and technicians on new equipment and processes. Conduct annual competencies for all staff for sterile compounding and initial competencies for all equipment use. Work closely with Pharmacy Management to execute strategic plans and policies. Education Demonstrate skill at using both written and verbal communication techniques in teaching others. Assist in new employee orientation, competency assessments, and mentoring as required. Program Management Serve on department or medical center committees as requested. Adhere to all medical center and department policies and procedures. Manage information security within areas of responsibility to ensure that computer system security and confidentiality of sensitive information is maintained, and that employee access to sensitive information is limited only to that which the employee requires to perform their duties. Report and address violations of information security. Maintain the security of pharmaceuticals according to local policies and federal and state regulations. SUPERVISORY CONTROLS: The incumbent is administratively accountable to the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor. The incumbent is also accountable to the Associate Chief of Pharmacy Services for Operations and Chief, Pharmacy Service, or their designee, for certification, competency, and continuing education. CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUIREMENTS: Meets the needs of customers while supporting the medical center and service missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients, visitors, volunteers, and all medical center staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively and appropriately. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday through Friday, 7:00am • 3:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized All requirements must be met at the time of the announcement closing. 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 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: Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). Grandfathering Provision. Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA 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 in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Employees 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 journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. 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 who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. 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. 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. 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). 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: Pharmacy Technician Supervisor, GS-09: Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-08) and demonstrate the KSAs below. Certification. For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: PTCB as a CPhT. OR NHA as a ExCPT. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards),controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.). Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports. Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area. Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists®, controlled substance inspections). Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders and managers. Ability to utilize staffing methodology principles to determine adequate staffing to coordinate and manage workflow and work activities within pharmacy. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be appointed to one of the following assignments. Supervisory pharmacy technicians are responsible for management and supervision of at least three GS-08 pharmacy technicians. These positions require significant independent technical judgement and expertise in complex areas of pharmacy practice, regulatory requirements and quality standards. They organize, coordinate and manage programs for the pharmacy service at the facility level. These pharmacy technicians will be responsible for communicating with VISN or national pharmacy leadership as well as individual facility leadership and 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-9. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.1.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. 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. 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/.