Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient

Summary

A Pharmacy Technician-Inpatient provides various technical support services within the pharmacy department and may function in various areas of the pharmacy. These areas may include but are not limited to; inpatient pharmacy, outpatient pharmacy, IV room, various storage areas, offices and patient care areas. These pharmacy technicians mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians. Employees at this grade level use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy.

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Duties

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Major duties, include but are not limited to:

Distributive Functions

• Fills inpatient medication orders to fulfill pre-exchange doses, missing dose reports, Automated Dispensing cabinets (ADCs) loads and restocks, and IV orders with accuracy.
• Delivers pre-exchange doses, missing doses, ADC loads and restocks, and IV medications to the appropriate location within the hospital as needed for administration.
• Prepares intravenous admixtures in compliance with USP 797 regulations and medical center policies and procedures.
• Utilizes TCGRx Automated Tablet Packaging (ATP) Machine to accurately repackage medications needed for inpatient use.
• Operates, stocks, provides basic maintenance to, and troubleshoots issues with ADC in compliance with policies and procedures.
• Ensures that all pharmacy equipment is cleaned and maintained to minimize downtime.
• Replenishes, checks, and maintains records for emergency carts, emergency kits, and OR trays.
• Assists in unloading and stocking medications, fluids, and supplies in appropriate pharmacy inventory and ward stock areas within a reasonable time after receipt and regularly rotates stock.
• Properly deducts medications from outpatient inventory via ScriptPro Inventory Management (SIM) as needed for inpatient dispensing.
• Utilizes barcode scanning programs in VISTA to ensure accurate dispensing of bulk medications (inhalers, topicals, insulin, etc) and compounded IV products.
• Processes and fills outpatient prescriptions for scheduled and non-scheduled federal legend drugs and medical devices, over-the-counter products, and supply items incompliance with regulations, policies, and procedures for pharmacist review.
• Utilizes ScriptPro to assist in the packaging and dispensing of medication to patients for outpatient window prescriptions. Also ensures two patient identifiers are utilized when dispensing medications and patient signatures for medication pick up are obtained.

Procurement/ Responsibilities

• Provides information to pharmacy procurement personnel regarding medications and supplies needed from the warehouse or wholesaler based on items used that day.
• Collaborates with pharmacy procurement personnel to manage out of stock items and ensures the items are filled as soon as stock is available.

Other Significant Responsibilities

• Completes monthly inspection(s) of all assigned internal and external pharmacy areas as delegated by supervisor and/or as determined by the needs of the pharmacy.
• Assists with preparation for special accreditations and reviews (e.g., The JC, IG,SOARS, ASHP) and meeting with reviewing/inspecting officials and/or pharmacy management.
• Participates in educating and training new employees or employees introduced to selected practice areas.
• Keeps abreast of changes in the Pharmacy Service (i.e., interdepartmental memoranda, relevant station memoranda, and policies and procedures) and maintains general knowledge of VA, DEA and JC regulations.

Work Schedule : Tuesday-Saturday OR Monday-Friday. Tour will vary based on staffing needs. Including but not limited to: 6AM-2:30PM, 7AM-3:30PM, 8AM-4:30PM, 9AM-5:30PM, 10AM-6:30PM, 11AM-7:30PM, 12PM-8:30PM, 1PM-9:30PM; 2PM-10:30PM; 7PM-7AM, 9PM-7:30AM.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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 : Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 60614F

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 Proficiency. Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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. Please submit transcripts to verify education.
• 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).

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). Grandfathering Provision. Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration 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: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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-07.

(1) Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (See GS-06 Assignment below).

(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:

• Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.
• Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
• Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
• Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
• Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
• Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

GS-6 Assignment. Pharmacy technicians at the full performance level may fill orders, dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs. Duties will include delivery of medications to floors/patients, filling medications for the pharmacist to review, checking for expired medications, answering phones with appropriate disposition, preparing sterile products (when applicable) and assisting with basic inventory management such as putting up stock and identifying when medications need to be ordered.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is the GS-7.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

Education

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.

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.

The Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center & its CBOC's are committed to hiring a diverse workforce from various backgrounds and individuals who demonstrate a diversity, equity and inclusion-related mindset and behaviors. We are strongly seeking candidates who represent the full range of cultural and identity factors including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation/identity, gender identity and expression, age, language, abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic status, religion, spiritual practices, geographic region, and other characteristics.

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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