Pharmacy Technician

Full Job Description

Provide support for the hospital staff by reading and interpreting orders, obtaining the proper medication or material in the proper doses and strength.

Works alongside the Pharmacist to ensure the correct medication is compounded, packaged, and delivered to the correct patient, provider, or automated dispensing system.

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. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

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: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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: GS-07 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Experience includes but not limited to: fill orders, dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs, including 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.

Certification: Hold an active national certification through either: Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT); OR, National Healthcareer Association (NHA) as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience described above, 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.

Preferred Experience: At least 2 years of Sterile Compounding experience x 2 years Inpatient Pharmacy Technician experience x 3 years Hazardous/Oncology Compounding experience, experience with automated medication dispensing systems (Pyxis, Omnicell), and experience with Cerner (Oracle Health Record) x1 year.

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-07.

Physical Requirements: 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.

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. Major Duties:

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Perform a full range of pharmacy technician drug distribution duties in support of Pharmacy Service operations.

Duties include but are not limited to: Read and interpret prescriptions, obtain proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form, determine proper amount and count, pour, or measure the medications; affix proper label; and record required data on Pharmacy's copy of prescription/order.

After a final check by a pharmacist, dispense medication in ambulatory care or discharge situations. Inventory and replenish emergency carts with appropriate medications and supplies.

Collect drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as required.

Operate and maintain complicated pharmacy equipment such as unit dose prepackaging machines, automatic dispensing machines, IV compounding machines and other pharmacy devices.

Able to troubleshoot the equipment and the technology platforms/databases.

Compound and/or reconstitute oral or external medications (non-sterile); includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used.

After prescription/order(s) are reviewed by a pharmacist for therapeutic propriety, review orders for technical accuracy and convert the order, if necessary, so that the item dispensed corresponds to the drug and dose ordered.

Answer questions with regard to drug distribution procedures and timeframes for delivery.

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.

Conduct ward inspections of patient care areas.

Ensure all look alike, sound alike, high alert, refrigerated medications are stored properly according to manufactures recommendations and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requirement.

Monitor inventory needs in patient care areas, relays this information to the appropriate Pharmacy personal.

This also includes placing stock in proper storage areas, rotating stock on shelves and removing/replacing outdated items. Maintain a training/education manual for the focus area assigned.

Provide training and mentorship to new or existing staff.

Understand requirements of USP 795, USP 797, USP 800, disposal of hazardous materials, safe medication distribution and electronic prescription processing.

Prepare medication orders for controlled substances and non-controlled substances, sterile product compounding including chemotherapy and hazardous drugs, unit dose prepacking, non-sterile product compounding, ward inspections, automated dispensing cabinet stocking and inventory maintenance thereof.

Perform necessary daily maintenance, loading, and documentation functions for automated dispensing equipment. Problem solve dispensing issues and trouble shoot basic software or hardware issues.

Operate equipment per policy and assure that the product identification precisely matches the medication order.

Assist in other patient care areas to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services, as needed.

Work Schedule: 3:30 pm - 12:00 am with rotating weekends; other shifts may be available; subject to change based on needs of the Agency.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): 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) Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 93234-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized