Clinical Pharmacy Technician (Anticoagulation)

Full Job Description

This role is an integral part of our Clinical Pharmacy section, with a focus on anticoagulation services.

The Clinical Pharmacy Technician is a certified professional with advanced skills, responsible for providing administrative, clerical, and clinical support to our Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPPs) within the anticoagulation clinic.

Additionally, this position involves aiding pain management CPPs by triaging veteran requests and offering cross-coverage in the ambulatory care clinic.

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. 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).

GS-8 Grade Determinations: Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and demonstrate the KSAs below.

Experience at the GS-7 level include: (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.

Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: PTCB as a CPhT.

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

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

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Pharmacy technicians at this level have a higher level of responsibility for specialized areas of pharmacy and are expected to independently carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty.

Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be appointed to one of the following assignments: Pharmacy Technician.

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.

Preferred Experience: Population management experience (e.g., population health, disease state management dashboards.) Clinical Pharmacy Technician experience in primary care, specialty care, or anticoagulation clinic.

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-8.

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.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. Major Duties:

The Clinical Pharmacy Technician shall provide and support clinical operations of the assigned CPP clinics.

All assigned clinical activities and functions shall be completed in accordance with approved clinical pharmacy protocols or procedures: Assigned activities may include but are not limited to: Conduct patient appointments related to warfarin therapy on scheduled days of clinic and report continuation of therapy when INR is within range as per anticoagulation guidelines.

Review INRs out of range and refer veterans to CPP for management of their warfarin. Receive, review, process, or triage assigned telephone and secure messages from veterans.

Review performance improvement Direct Acting Oral Anticoagulant (DOAC) dashboard and clear alerts within knowledge base under direction of Anticoagulation program manager.

May also review population management dashboards and assist CPPs in areas of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, etc.

Assist with support of CPPs in VIPM clinic triaging veteran requests / communication as time allows.

Provide cross coverage in PCCs for clinical pharmacy technicians which may include patient education on the proper use of continuous glucose monitors, insulin, and inhalers.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Telework: Ad-hoc