Summary This position functions in the Inpatient Pharmacy section, primarily in the unit dose and sterile compounding areas. Work includes preparing sterile hazardous and non-hazardous compounded sterile preparations, medication distribution and inventory control, emergency crash cart replenishment, daily maintenance of automated dispensing equipment, and interpreting data from pharmacy information systems. The position may also assist the ambulatory care pharmacy or controlled substances vault. Responsibilities This position is primarily responsible for performing distributive duties within the pharmacy and responding to general pharmacy questions, both of which require a working knowledge of the electronic health record (EHR), pharmacy automation, and local policy and procedures. The incumbent must possess exceptional customer service skills and the ability to follow verbal and written instruction. The technician must maintain a high degree of accuracy, productivity, and attention to Veteran needs while following the VA ICARE values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence. Roles and duties include: Ensure all local, VHA, and DEA policies and regulations are adhered to with respect to inpatient pharmacy. Keep up to date with local and national changes regarding storage, handling, prescribing, dispensing, and destruction of medications. Maintain professional relationships and collaboration with other service lines involved in the process of distribution of medications to Veterans including nursing and providers, specialty services, patient advocates, and peers in Pharmacy. Unit Dose Medication Management: Fill unit dose and automated dispensing cabinet orders. Receive inventory from vendors using provided technology, apply barcode or other labeling as indicated and restock shelves. Inventory and replenish emergency cart trays and carts. Operate and provide routine maintenance for pharmacy equipment, such as automated dispensing machines and barcode label printers. Repackage a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, label them properly, and leave them for final verification. Perform automation replenishment and process requests for ward stock and perform record keeping for these activities. Use proper inventory management of Omnicells and proper procedures when adding medications to the Omnicell. Inspect ward stock supplies for unapproved items, storage practices, and outdates; perform record keeping for these activities. Sterile Compounding: Prepare sterile hazardous and non-hazardous compounded sterile preparations (CSP's) using aseptic technique and safe handling of hazardous medications described in chapters 797 and 800 of the US Pharmacopoeia. Verify correct formulation and ingredients; select and measure appropriate components; mix components in a safe and appropriate manner; inspect the final product for accuracy, appearance and pharmaceutical elegance; label the product; and ensure timely delivery. Follow established protocols in determining appropriate beyond-use dates on all pharmaceuticals prepared. Controlled Substances: Abide by all laws and regulations pertaining to controlled substances and follow all VHA, DEA and local facility requirements. Know and follow standard operating procedures to maintain complete, accurate, and readily retrievable controlled drug accountability records. Fill inpatient and clinic requests for controlled substances, fill outpatient prescriptions for controlled substances. Participate in routine inventory counts and inspections, identify questionable circumstances or unusual trends in narcotic usage. Immediately report discrepancies to the supervisor. Prepare expired or unusable controlled substances for destruction. General: Teach pharmacy technicians and students proper technique to prepare sterile products and teach procedures for the unit dose management system. Interact with patients, pharmacists, nurses, and other clinical staff as required. Prioritize and make appropriate decisions in urgent or fast-paced situations. Notify supervisor of safety or quality concerns in a timely fashion. Perform tasks unique to outpatient pharmacy as needed, including fill outpatient prescriptions, wrap mail, answer phones, dispense medications at the window, and work in the vault. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 7:00am to 3:30pm, occasional holidays and weekends. Recruitment Incentive (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. 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. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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). 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). 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). 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-03. Education and Experience. (a) One year of post-secondary education. OR (b) Six months of general experience. OR (c) Student Technician. A student enrolled in an approved nationally accredited pharmacy technician program for an occupation identified in 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(A) or (B) may be appointed on a temporary full-time, part-time or intermittent basis under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(D) for a period not to exceed two years or the duration of the individual's program. Pharmacy Technician, GS-04. (1) Education and Experience. (a) Completion of two years of post-secondary coursework related to pharmacy (e.g., 12 semester hours of science and mathematics courses). OR (b) Completion of one of the following: Six months of experience, that demonstrated knowledge of medication or medical field practice. OR Successful completion of a military or nationally recognized pharmacy technician education/training program. American Society of Health System Pharmacists® (ASHP), American Pharmacist Association (APHA), Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), PTCB or NHA are examples of acceptable professional organizations recognizing such training programs. NOTE: Training courses recognized by PTCB and NHA are not actual certifications. OR One year of experience equivalent to next lower grade level. (2) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the education or experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Ability to follow policies and procedures. (b) Ability to maintain appropriate files. (c) Ability to communicate with patients and other health professionals. (d) Ability to follow both written and verbal instructions. (e) Ability to operate office software/equipment to include, computers, software applications and printers. Pharmacy Technician, GS-05. (1) Education or Experience. (a) Successful completion of four years post-secondary education with courses related to pharmacy (e.g., 48 semester hours of science, mathematics, pharmacy) or a bachelor's degree. OR (b) An associate's degree in pharmacy technician or technology (48semester hours of concentrated pharmacy technician training). OR (c) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (2) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the education or experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs (a) Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations. (b) Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas. (c) Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic, chemical and proprietary names of drug). (d) Ability to fill prescriptions. (e) Ability to use pharmacy information systems or basic pharmacy dispensing equipment with oversight. Pharmacy Technician, GS-06. (1) Education or Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level. (2) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice. (b) Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation. (c) Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment. (d) Knowledge of basic inventory procedures. (e) Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel. Preferred Experience: In addition to the basic Pharmacy Technician qualification standards, preferred experience includes: Three years of Pharmacy Technician experience compounding sterile products in a hospital pharmacy setting. Three years' experience using inpatient pharmacy equipment to include experience with Automated Dispensing Cabinets (Omnicell or Pyxis), inpatient pharmacy robotic systems, or TPN compounding devices (BAXA, Pinnacle, etc.). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds); reaching above the shoulder; use of fingers; standing (up to 6 hours); repeated bending (up to 2 hours); near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; the ability to distinguish basic colors; and mental and emotional stability. Environmental Factors: May be exposed to constant noise; extensive keyboard and mouse use; and you must be able to work alone and closely with others. Education IMPORTANT: If basing your qualifications on education, you must submit a copy of all relevant transcripts with your application. An unofficial copy of college transcripts showing completion of the degree or program is required and must include the name of the school, your name, date conferred or completed, and degree or certificate @type. Your transcript will be reviewed for relevant coursework; therefore, the uploaded copy must be legible. 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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.
