Pharmacy Technician

Summary

This position is for a certified Pharmacy Technician above the full performance level GS-07 at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Pharmacy : Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Pharmacy Technicians at this grade level are Nationally certified by PCTB or ExCPT and can work autonomously, using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties. Pharmacy Technicians above the full performance level can mentor and train lower grade technicians in the practice setting. The employee will assist the pharmacist in providing optimal care and timely service in accordance with mission, vision, and goals of the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center.

The incumbent is expected to accomplish all duties related to stocking, delivering, inventory, inspections, assembling clinic orders, prescription assembly, controlled substance distribution, unit-dose drug packaging, dispensing, distribution, telephone service, and another other related to pharmaceutical practices. The incumbent performs all duties under the supervision of a pharmacist and is expected to acquire and maintain a high degree of accurate productivity and performance.

The duties and responsibilities of the Pharmacy Technician include the following but not limited too:

• Accurately interprets, fills, and prepares prescriptions and medication orders with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification.
• Dispense medications following all regulations, policies, and procedures for safe medication distribution verifying patient's identification (i.e., two patient identifiers) and using scanning software.
• Maintains work areas in a clean and orderly condition by assuring that all stock and equipment are in assigned places and all shelves and counters are free of dust and debris to create optimal work areas.
• Assures drug and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according o USP and VA guidelines, including the storage of high-risk, look a-like sound a-like, hazardous, controlled substances, corrosive chemical, flammable liquids and refrigerated items.
• Receives, checks, rotates, and places in stock all items received from pharmacy procurement section and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies to assure items have been received.
• Utilizes automation dispensing equipment available to pharmacy staff following all safety, maintenance, and QA procedures. Reports automation malfunctions timely to the supervisor as appropriate.
• Records expiration dates in automatic prescription dispensing system upon receipt.
• Performs monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and soon to expired drugs are removed. Completes inspection reports in compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Understands waste streams for returned mediations and medications to be destroyed.
• Accurately interprets EHR patient medication profiles. Is able to confirm prescription information in the Pharmacy computer packages. Able to execute refills or other technician duties within the pharmacy software.
• Accurately or updates patient information in the pharmacy software package.
• Accurately enters notes into the electronic health record using pharmacy templates or blank forms.
• Triages phone calls to the Pharmacy and assists Veterans with medication questions, refills, mail concerns, and other issues.
• Works with Community Care Pharmacy staff to accurately process prescriptions from Community Care prescribers.

Work Schedule : Monday to Friday 7:45am to 4:30pm (Expected to periodically work later tours and occasional weekends, as determined by service needs)

Telework : Not eligible

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Functional Statement # : 60497-F

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 ( 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

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 :

• 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).

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).

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.

In addition to the basic requirements, the below qualification requirements must be met at the grade in which you are applying.

Experience. For the GS-7, Pharmacy Technician must possess one year experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). 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.
• Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

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 level are nationally certified and can work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties. 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. They also function as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07.

Physical Requirements: The work involves regular and recurring physical exertion including walking, bending, prolonged standing, stooping, lifting and carrying packages weighing up to 40 pounds. Dexterity is required for the operation of Pharmacy equipment.

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: 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:

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.

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.

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