Pharmacy Technician

Summary

GS-7 Pharmacy Technicians function in various areas of the outpatient pharmacy (East and West campuses). Pharmacy Technicians are under the supervision of the outpatient pharmacy supervisor or a pharmacy technician supervisor. Pharmacy technicians provide various technical support services within the pharmacy department. This position involves providing services related to ambulatory patients.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

VA Careers - Pharmacy :

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE:

The incumbent is responsible for the filling, dispensing, procurement, storage, preparation, review, distribution, and control of medications/other pharmaceutical products to patients, and outpatient treatment units, and research investigators. The work product directly affects the health of outpatients.

A. Outpatient:

Incumbent will perform entry, processing and filling of outpatient prescriptions for scheduled and non-scheduled federal legend drugs and medicaldevices, over-the-counter products and supply items; patient and customer relations; and preparation and maintenance of various logs, records and reports. The incumbent must possess an advanced technical knowledge of drug and medication brand names, generic names/chemical names, general and special storage requirements, expiration date and beyond use date requirements, manufacturer/ distributor sources, dosage forms, applicable systems of weights and measures and medical terminology to interpret providers' orders and verify correct drug, dosage form, strength and dose is prepared and/or distributed; working knowledge of drug use and dosage forms available to be able to screen drug orders for propriety and assist thepharmacist in solving potential drug related problems; controlled substance discrepancies, working knowledge of hospital computer system(s), specifically the applicable VISTA/CHCS, CPRS, and Class-III software applications and processing options (e.g., ScriptPro, Pyxis and Pyxis CII safe, outpatient prescription processing, etc.) and a thorough knowledge of the operation and basic daily maintenance and minor repair of automated dispensing equipment. Incumbent will provide adequate medication counseling to patient as it relates to medication and other pharmacyservices.

B. Controlled Substance:

Fills and dispenses prescriptions for controlled substances for Outpatient beneficiaries. Incumbent performs controlled substances inventories as required. The incumbent is required to possess advanced knowledge of principles relating to controlled substances and the requirements of FHCC and Network policy and state and Federal regulations, which apply to these drugs. Knowledge of trending and analysis is necessary to ensure that problems associated with discrepancies in waste, fraud, diversion or abuse are identified quickly and reported to appropriate supervisor(s).

C. Procurement and Stock Maintenance:

Performs duties associated with stocking of medications and supplies, to include rotation of stock, checking for and pulling of outdated/expired medications and supply items, cleaning and maintenance of stock shelves and areas. Notifies and coordinates with supervisor, pharmacist-incharge,and/or supply technicians of medications and supply items needed. GS-7 Pharmacy Technicians require advanced technical knowledge of all aspects of drug characteristics and nomenclature including generic/chemical and brand names, dosage forms, various systems of weights and measures, drug product codes, drug interchangeability and therapeutic equivalence; characteristics and proper documentation of drug packaging; various uses for drugs; FHCC, VA, and DoD regulatory agency requirements for drug storage; special requirements for procurement, storage, distribution and handling of various classes of drugs. An advanced technical working knowledge of usage rates, stock levels, inventory maintenance concepts including just-in-time inventory and inventory turns, equipment utilized for procurement, contract adherence sources is also required.

Work Schedule : Rotating days, weekends and holidays

Compressed/Flexible :N/A

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 : N/A

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 09236F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): N/A

Requirements

Help

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 by38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Certification: T he 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.

A COPY OF YOUR CERTIFICATION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION.

Assignments: 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.

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).

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements listed above, you must meet the following:

GS-7 Pharmacy Technician Grade Determinations :

Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6). One year of experience as a Certified Pharmacy Technician.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):

GS-6

1. Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice.

2. Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation.

3. Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment.

4. Knowledge of basic inventory procedures.

5. Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

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

2. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.

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

4. Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.

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

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

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

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting or carrying of heavy pharmaceutical supplies or mail bags weighing up to 80 pounds, bending, and stopping.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7.

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.

Help

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.

Review our benefits

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.