Pharmacy Technician

Summary

The GS 8 Community Care Clinical Pharmacy Technician is responsible for the receiving, assessing for appropriateness, processing, and documenting all community care prescriptions for the approval by a Clinical Pharmacist. The incumbent will review inbound CCNRx prescriptions for the entirety of the Clement J Zablocki VAMC. The Pharmacy Technician assists the Community Care Clinical Pharmacist in all daily tasks concerning community care prescribed prescriptions and related tasks.

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Duties

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Major Duties of the GS 8 Community Care Pharmacy Technician Include but are not limited to:

Community Care Prescription Support:

• Receives faxed, mailed, electronically prescribed, or delivered prescriptions written by Non-VA providers and processes all received prescriptions to include assessment of appropriateness and eligibility, prioritizing urgent prescriptions first.
• Utilizes electronic health record, or other related sites to determine authorization and eligibility of Non-VA Care by the VA Medical Center.
• Communicates with patients concerning prescriptions received from unauthorized provider visits and handles prescriptions appropriately, whether forwarding to primary care provider, returning to patient, and/or documenting in electronic health record.
• Reviews authorized prescriptions for appropriateness using Pharmacy Technician knowledge, as well as knowledge concerning the national drug formulary and local VA formulary requirements.
• Communicates with Non-VA providers and staff to request clarification of prescriptions or medication changes due to VA formulary and forwards all changes and clarifications to a licensed pharmacist .
• Initiates the non-formulary/prior authorization process with the Non-VA provider and records needed documentation in electronic health record.
• Follows up via phone and/or fax with Non-VA Provider regarding initiated communications
• Enters non-formulary or prior authorization consult requests in electronic health record for review and completion by the Community Care Clinical Pharmacist.
• Inputs authorized prescriptions or prepares electronically prescribed medications in VISTA for the review and verification by a Clinical Pharmacist.
• Contacts patients with updates on Non-VA prescriptions and documents in electronic health record.
• Reviews the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) website to ensure appropriateness of received prescriptions and to prevent duplicate and/or overprescribing of controlled substances and documents in electronic health record.
• Maintains a current knowledge of national, state, and local laws, regulations, directives, policies, and procedures pertaining to controlled substances.
• Monitors prescription profiles for abuse potential and notifies Community Care Program Manager or Outpatient Pharmacy Supervisor if discovery is made.
• Assists in the tracking and shipping of Non-VA prescribed controlled substances, as well as all Non-VA prescribed as needed.
• Communicates with Procurement Pharmacist or Procurement Technician when specialty medications need to be ordered.

Community Care Telephone Triage:

• Assists the Community Care Clinical Pharmacist with inbound and outbound phone calls relating to community care that do not require a pharmacists' knowledge.
• Utilizes pharmacy information systems to answer patient or provider questions related to status of their prescription(s), completion date, package tracking, etc.
• Monitors community care pharmacy voicemail regularly throughout shift and addresses messages promptly.

General Outpatient Pharmacy Support:

• Performs technical support work in the pharmacy under the supervision of a registered pharmacist.
• Operates the automated dispensing system and prepares daily.
• Contributes to the maintenance and operation of all equipment in the outpatient pharmacy area

Other duties:

• Functions as a backup to the controlled substance/vault technician, Clinical Pharmacy Technicians, when delegated
• Participates in quality assurance, process improvement activities, and performance monitors.
• Maintain competence by participating in staff development programs.
• Provide in-service programs for appropriate clinic personnel and pharmacy technicians as assigned.
• Performs all the duties of a pharmacy technician at the lower grades as assigned.
• Assists in other patient care areas as deemed necessary to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 7:30 - 4:00 pm

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 08309F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

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 : Must be proficient in written and spoken English

Certification: must 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).

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 ).

A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and certification 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.

Grade Determinations :

Pharmacy Technician GS-8 Must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07). Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

• Mentoring and training lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting.
• Assist advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives.
• Uses independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy.
• Functions as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of a pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of following technical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.)
• Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
• Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.

References: VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO)

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 8.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS 8.

Physical Requirements: Work is performed primarily in the outpatient Pharmacy area, where there is a potential for exposure to communicable diseases. Such areas are adequately heated and ventilated, and safety precautions are required. In some cases, dealing with anti-neoplastic drugs may expose the incumbent to hazardous and toxic agents. The incumbent works with drugs/chemicals and must exercise precautions to avoid accidental contact to the skin, eyes, and lungs.

Additional information

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.