Pharmacy Technician

Summary

This position is for a certified pharmacy technician above the full performance level at the Rockford CBOC of the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans

Hospital and Clinics Health Care System Pharmacy. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level are nationally certified by PTCB 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.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Pharmacy :

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

FUNCTIONS or SCOPE of ASSIGNED DUTIES:

A. Controlled Substance

• Documents all controlled substance-related transactions as indicated by VA and DEA guidelines.
• Assures that inventory counts are correct at the time of restocking.
• Ensures that proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances, always assuring that these medications
  are never left unsecured.
• Reports unresolvable discrepancies to immediate area supervisor for resolution. Assist in investigating, witnessing, and resolving
  discrepancies.
• Inspects each dosage form dispensed for damage or discoloration and removes damaged or expired products from stock.
• Provides supervisor with name, manufacturer, lot number, and expiration dates of all damaged or expired controlled substances
  needing to be adjusted in inventory, including when newly opened, sealed containers contain a greater or lesser quantity than noted on the package, so that balance adjustment can be performed.
• Assists with securely packaging all damaged, expired, or returned controlled substances awaiting destruction.
• Complies with all laws, regulations, directives, policies, and procedures applying to the dispensing, storage, transfer, inventory, and accountability of controlled substances.

B. Community Care Prescription

• 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 William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital.
• 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 to receive from the Non-VA representative and documents these actions on the prescription or in electronic health record.
• 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 concerning non-formulary/prior
  authorization medications, clarifications, or medication change requests frequently, and documents in electronic health record.

C. Community and Self-Directed Care Telephone Triage

• Assists the Community Care and Self-Directed Care Clinical Pharmacist with inbound and outbound phone calls relating to community and self-directed 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 and self-directed care pharmacy voicemail regularly throughout shift and addresses messages promptly.
• Transfers calls or messages to the Community Self Directed Care Clinical Pharmacist as appropriate.
• Documents phone conversations in electronic health record for future reference if appropriate.

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday 0830-1700

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 # : 10241F

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.
• 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.

Qualifications

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. 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).

Assignments: Pharmacy technicians in this assignment specialize in areas such as sterile compounding, oncology, controlled substances, medication history review, clinical specialist (anticoagulation, pain, infectious diseases), clinical informatics, automation, immunizations and any other specialized area in the advancement of the profession. The pharmacy technician will serve as a subject matter expert and key resource in the day-to-day technician duties of the specialized area. The technician will be performing assignments such as compounding sterile products, filling controlled substance prescriptions while maintaining compliance with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations, taking medication histories and counseling patients, managing automation, managing workflow and training and orienting staff in the specialized area.

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-8 Pharmacy Technician Grade Determinations :

Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7). One year of experience as a Certified Pharmacy Technician.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA):

GS-7

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.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. 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.) Note: See Specialized Area.in the Definitions Section.

2. Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.

3. Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.

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

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

Physical Requirements: Refence VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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

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.