Pharmacy Technician (Outpatient)

Summary

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. The incumbent will stock, deliver, inventory, inspect, assemble ward orders, distribute controlled substances, perform sterile compounding (including hazardous drugs), package unit-dose drugs, and perform any other function related to pharmaceutical practices.

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Duties

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Medication Distribution System:

• Fill and prepare prescriptions with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification.
• Assure drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to 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.
• Receive, check, rotate, and place in stock all items received from pharmacy procurement section and identify and reconcile any discrepancies to assure correct items have been received.
• Record expiration dates in the automatic prescription dispensing system.
• Compound and/or reconstitute oral or external medications (non-sterile).
• Identify basic therapeutic problems, such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alert the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention.
• Assist in training and orientation of new staff technicians, interns, and students.
• Participate in performance improvement initiatives for pharmacy.
• Comply with all VHA, Medical Center, and Pharmacy regulations, directives, policies, and procedures.

Window Pick-Up:

• Verify the patient's identification following the Medical Center's policies (i.e., double patient identifiers).
• Verify the patient receives the correct prescriptions by using VA software (i.e., VISTA and barcode scanning).
• Verify the patient received all prescriptions (i.e., refrigerated, controlled substances, bulk medications, etc.).

Mail Packaging:

• Utilize and comprehend mail shipping programs used by the facility (i.e., USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc.) for overnight delivery of non-controlled and controlled prescriptions.
• Perform searches, update patient information, and generate shipping reports as requested by the supervisor.
• Call patients to arrange delivery of refrigerated prescriptions and verify patients' address.
• Package prescriptions appropriately to ensure packages are not damaged within transit.

Pharmacy Phone System:

• Maintain appropriate phone etiquette and professionalism.
• Accurately collect and clarify patient information.
• Understand when to alert pharmacists for issues.
• Communicate information accurately in electronic health records.

Controlled Substance Activities:

• These functions will be supported in the absence of the controlled substance technician (i.e., after hours, weekends, and leave).
• Interpret, fill, and ready prescriptions with appropriate medications for pharmacist verification.
• Document all controlled substance related transactions as indicated by VA and DEA guidelines.
• Ensure proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances, always assuring these medications are never left unsecured.

Unit Dose Medication Management:

• Prepare unit dose medications using pharmacy provided software.
• Inspect packaged items for accuracy and suitability before submitting for final check, prior to distribution.
• Trouble-shoot minor mechanical problems of all automated systems as they occur and coordinate resolution of more involved mechanical or software problems with Supervisor, vendor help desk, ADPAC, etc. as appropriate.

Automatic Replenishment/Ward Stock:

• Inventory, assess, and determine the need for floor stock and external medication.
• Inspect and document assigned hospital areas for medication storage.
• Remove all expired and deteriorated drugs from the automated dispensing stations, stock shelves, and the unit dose automated dispensing systems.
• Assure each inspected area meets established standards for appropriate drug storage conditions, including drug security for inspection and accreditation.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule : Mon - Fri, 8:00am to 4:30pm with occasional night, weekend, and holidays.

Compressed/Flexible :Possible after training.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: 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 : Ad-hoc only.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 50415-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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

Education or Experience.

(1) None required.

(2) 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:

(1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).

OR

(2) 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.

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. In addition to the basic requirements for appointment above, VA HR staff must use the following criteria to determine the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

Pharmacy Technician, GS-07.

(1) Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.

(2) 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.

(3) 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: There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019, updated on 4/17/2026.

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.