Pharmacy Technician - Outpatient

Summary

Outpatient Pharmacy Technician

The outpatient pharmacy distributes acute and chronic medications and supplies or other direct patient care services unique to the VA health care model. Must possess knowledge of the laws, regulations and official policy concerning drug distribution, procurement, and security measures to conform to legal and professional requirements of pharmacy practice.

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Duties

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Duties include, but are not limited to:

Medication Distribution System

1) Reads and interprets prescriptions from the Veteran electronic health record (EHR) or in written format.

2) Reviews prescription orders for technical accuracy.

3) Prepares medications and ensures the orderable item matches the item being dispensed with regard to drug, strength, quantity, or appropriate supply item.

4) Dispenses medications following all regulations, policies, and procedures for safe medication distribution.

5) Uses automation (ie. ScriptPro) to fill, label and batch medications.

6) Executes contingency plans to maintain operations during outages.

7) Maintains highly sophisticated pharmacy equipment. This includes cleaning procedures and maintenance of ScriptPro, ScriptCenter and other counting machines. Troubleshoots equipment and databases when needed.

8) Assists with automated or manual inventory processes that include but are not limited to inventory counts, medication ordering, stocking, check and appropriately manage expired and nearly expiring medications, pulling recalled medications, or any other activity related to the supply of medications.

9) Accurately fills prescription items for wards using Automatic Replenishment reports.

10) Subject matter expert of ScriptCenter. Troubleshooting and addressing technical issues where needed.

11) Verifies linking of the ScriptCenter batched medications are done appropriately and accurately.

12) Verifies that the patients have picked up their medications in a timely manner.

13) Contacts patients if their packages have been in the ScriptCenter for more than 3 days and coordinates other arrangements for dispensing (i.e., sending back to main site for mail out options or returning to stock).

14) Accurately interprets EHR patient medication profiles. Can confirm prescription information in the pharmacy computer packages. Able to execute refills or other technician duties within the pharmacy software.

15) Accurately updates patient information in the many pharmacy software packages.

16) Accurately enters notes into the EHR using pharmacy templates or blank forms.

17) Communicates with procurement staff to effectively facilitate acquisition of medications.

18) Assists pharmacy management team in data tracking and reporting as assigned.

19) Prioritizes workload to complete assignments on time.

20) Maintains a safe orderly and clean working environment.

21) Ensures all look alike, sound alike, high alert and refrigerated medications are stored properly according to manufacturer's recommendations and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requirement.

22) Maintains adaptability and flexibility for various emerging roles and responsibilities in the medication distribution system including new equipment, assignments, and changes in pharmacy workflow.

23) Accurately mails medications in accordance with pharmacy procedures.

24) Assists with other medication distribution activities as directed by pharmacist, supervisor or as delineated as part of the shift responsibility.

Pharmacy Phone System

1) Able to use the current facility phone system.

2) Maintains appropriate phone etiquette and professionalism.

3) Accurately collects and clarifies patient information.

4) Capable of triaging patient information to identify basic therapeutic, distributive, or medication related problems.

5) Understands when to alert pharmacists for problems.

6) Communicates information accurately in the EHR or other formats.

7) Completes calls and as needed follow up in a timely manner.

Medication Management System

1) Assists the pharmacist with problem solving patient care or medication issues.

2) Assists in quality improvement projects as an individual or on assigned teams to improve pharmacy service.

Work Schedule : Full-time; Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

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 # : 000000

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

All requirements must be met by the close date of this announcement, 11/13/2026.

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.
• 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).

• 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).

Grade Determinations :

GS-7 Pharmacy Technician

Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-6.

AND

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.

AND

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.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7.

Physical Requirements: 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.

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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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.