Summary This position is located within the Pharmacy service located at the Augusta VA Medical Center. The incumbent provides advanced clinical and technical support in the outpatient pharmacy, improving prescription processing, patient satisfaction, and medication access. Performs complex dispensing, refill processing, clinical reviews, and customer service functions under pharmacist oversight to enhance safe and efficient patient care. Responsibilities VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include but are not limited to: Deliver high-level customer service; resolve prescription issues, review refill requests, track undeliverable mail, and support patient education. Monitor audio fax/MyHealtheVet refill systems; scan and process mailed and in-person refill requests. Review medication profiles for duplication, noncompliance, adverse reactions, and allergy issues; report findings to pharmacists. Review labs for selected disease states and identify abnormal values for pharmacist action. Support validation of community care prescriptions and E-Rx transmissions for pharmacist review. Input and process refill prescriptions in VistA; prepare orders for mail-out or pharmacist verification. Fill and label prescriptions accurately; update medication profiles; correct label information. Identify basic therapeutic problems and alert pharmacists for potential interventions. Serve as back-up controlled substances technician, maintaining required dispensing and documentation standards. Participate in quality assurance, process improvement, and workload data collection. Perform duties of lower-grade technicians and other assigned tasks to support pharmacy operations. Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm, Weekends, Holidays Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 58527F 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. 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 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 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. 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). 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: GS-08 Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience demonstrating the below GS-7 KSA's : Ability to evaluate physician orders by reviewing for accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness. Knowledge of medication preparation requirements, including drug strengths, dosage forms, routes, and storage. Skill in using pharmacy automation and equipment (e.g., dispensing machines, packaging, bar-coding). Knowledge of pharmaceutical products sufficient to fill orders and identify potential dispensing issues. Ability to identify basic therapeutic problems (duplicate therapy, drug interactions) and alert pharmacists. Ability to perform technical tasks independently in areas such as unit dose, outpatient dispensing, compounding, and controlled substances 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. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs for all GS-08 assignments and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: Ability to evaluate medication orders for accuracy and completeness, including appropriateness for the patient. Advanced knowledge of drug products, dosage forms, hazards, and preparation/dispensing requirements. Skill in operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting automated dispensing systems and specialized equipment. Knowledge of hazardous drug handling, sterile/non-sterile compounding guidelines, and medication safety standards. Ability to conduct medication history interviews and document allergies/adverse reactions. Knowledge of pharmacy regulations, VHA policies, and compliance requirements, including controlled substances procedures. Ability to support pharmacists in clinical functions, perform advanced medication profile reviews, and document clinical findings. 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-08. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time, typing, walking distances within the medical center, lifting/ carrying (up to 40 pounds) of pharmaceutical supplies, and bending/stooping/stretching. 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: 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 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.
