Pharmacy Technician

In this position you would serve as the Pharmacy Technician in all patient care areas and Pharmacy Service within the health care organization. Pharmacy Technicians at this level are nationally certified. The high-level duties consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety to be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSABILITIES: Coordinates ward inspection assignments under the guidance of supervisor to assure all areas are covered; provides training and oversight for pharmacy technicians. Under the guidance of the technician supervisor, monitors inspections for timely and accurate completion. Maintains process for tracking inventory of selected noncontrolled substances. Selects appropriate drug products and completes inventory cycle counts. Accurately prepares and labels inpatient and outpatient medications for final review by a pharmacist in a timely manner. Accurately prepares and labels-controlled substance prescriptions for final review by a pharmacist according to established policies, procedures, and regulations regarding security and record keeping Completes controlled substance inventory functions. Accurately receives new stock and returned stock into inventory according to established policies, procedures and regulations regarding inventory record keeping. Correctly operates and maintains pharmacy automation according to established Standard Operating Procedures. Accurately replenishes controlled and non-controlled substances in all pharmacy automation in a timely manner. Assists medical center staff and patients, either by phone or in person, concerning drug distribution, refill requests, mail, and general triaging of requests for the pharmacists, and refers all clinical issues to a pharmacist. Compounds hazardous and non-hazardous sterile products, in accordance with USP 797 and USP 800. Prepares non-sterile products in accordance with USP 795. Prepares and fills orders for all controlled substances. Interpret, process, fill, label, record and deliver orders/prescriptions for controlled substances. Records all transactions in the Vista Controlled Substance Software package. Secures and files all hardcopy dispensing records in accordance with VHA and DEA regulations. Delivers controlled substance orders to patient care units. Ensures authorized nursing personnel review order for accuracy and sign for order before placing the item in the point of care cabinet before completing the restock/refill transaction. Ensures all controlled substance deducted from the vault inventory in the Vista Controlled Substance Software package are entered into the assigned point of care cabinet as restock/refill transaction. Serves as a point of contact for internal and external customers regarding pharmacy practices. Responsible for medication updates with pharmacy automation. Monitors all activity with pharmacy automation and alerts supervisors to any discrepancies, patterns of behavior or irregular actions. Maintains annual updates for all medications within all pharmacy automation, i.e. High Alert, P&T standard stock approvals, etc. Assist with controlled substance investigations as needed. Trains, orients and mentors' pharmacy personnel regarding facility and department policies and procedures. Assists department leadership in data collection for process monitoring and improvement activities. Performs all duties of Pharmacy Technicians Grades 3-6. Assists in all other patient care areas as deemed necessary by the pharmacy supervisor to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday day tour, Off tours as needed by the department 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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 #: 0000 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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407 Education or Experience. (1) None required. (2) 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). 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: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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. Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician, GS-07: (1) Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (2) 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. (3) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent. Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers. Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students. 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: Inpatient and Outpatient 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. 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 evaluation. 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/.