Pharmacy Technician

Full Job Description

This Pharmacy Technician position is in the Pharmacy Service department located at the White River Junction VA Medical Center, VT. COVERAGE.

The following are requirements for appointment or placement as a Pharmacy Technician in Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The requirements will apply to all VHA pharmacy technicians employed in the General Schedule (GS) 0661 series performing a variety of pharmacy duties under the supervision of a pharmacist.

Under the supervision of a pharmacist, pharmacy technicians perform routine pharmacy functions including filling, preparation and dispensing of prescriptions, sterile compounding preparation, management of automated dispensing equipment (ADE), inventory management and multiple types of customer contact services.

Advanced pharmacy technicians serve in specialized roles within the pharmacy department and are often involved with program management of their specialty area.

These roles include, but are not limited to, pharmacy technicians who specialize in controlled substance management, sterile compounding, inventory/ budgeting/purchasing, automation, informatics, quality management, research, clinical and call center.

Lead and supervisory pharmacy technicians are also advanced roles in this series. Pharmacy technicians work in a variety of settings in VHA. BASIC REQUIREMENTS. a. Citizenship.

Be a citizen of the United States. b. 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.

c. 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). d. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. e.

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). GRADE DETERMINATIONS.

In addition to the basic requirements for appointment, VA HR staff must use the following criteria to determine the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. Pharmacy Technician, GS-09.

(1) Experience. One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade level. (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 the following KSAs and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: (a) Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards), controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.).

(b) Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.

(c) Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.

(d) Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists®, controlled substance inspections).

(e) Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.

(4) 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 grade level may be appointed to one of the following assignments. (a) Pharmacy Technician.

Pharmacy technician coordinators perform the full range of program coordination in their specialized area of pharmacy.

These positions require independent technical judgement and expertise in complex areas of pharmacy practice that have specific laws, significant regulatory requirements and quality/safety standards.

They organize, coordinate and manage single or multiple programs under the delegation of pharmacy supervisors or Associate Chiefs.

Pharmacy technicians at this level must have expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for the complex program area and manage all aspects of compliance with these standards with limited input from pharmacy supervisor(s).

Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be assigned as a coordinator in areas requiring detailed regulatory oversight and record keeping including, but not limited, to the Controlled Substance Program, Research/Investigational Drug Program, Procurement, Automation & Informatics program, Quality/Patient Safety, Clinical or Call Center.

Former VA Handbook Reference: PART II APPENDIX G28 Effective Date: November 07, 2023 DEFINITIONS. a. Creditable Experience.

To be creditable, a candidate must possess the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice.

The candidate's experience must be evidenced by active professional practice. (Active professional practice means paid/nonpaid employment as a professional pharmacy technician.) b.

Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week.

For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of half-time work. c. Quality of Experience.

Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy technician experience at the next lower grade level.

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

d. Specialized Area.

Areas within pharmacy that require advanced knowledge, skills and abilities to ensure a high level of accountability for patient safety, quality of care and/or VHA or other regulatory requirements.

Examples include, but are not limited to compounding sterile products, controlled substance dispensing, research, automation, clinical informatics, quality assurance, hazardous medication compounding/management, immunizations and clinical pharmacy assignments.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Principle duties of this position require repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g., preparing prescriptions, use of a computer keyboard, etc.).

May require lifting and carrying light loads, including boxes, equipment, medical supplies, stock boxes etc.; stooping or kneeling (e.g., to pick up items from the floor, remove and replace items on lower shelves, and to file documents in lower file drawers, etc.); sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours).

Ability to operate automation. Must be able to wear personal protective equipment, including respirators while on duty.

Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job. Major Duties:

This position is located in Pharmacy Service. Pharmacy technicians prepare medications by counting, pouring, weighing, measuring, and mixing or compounding oral and intravenous medications.

The pharmacy technician may also prepare medications for distribution to inpatient wards and clinics and outpatients for pickup and mailing.

The pharmacy technician works in collaboration with other pharmacy technicians and responds to requests of pharmacists and other pharmacy supervisory staff.

Under the supervision of a Pharmacist, or Supervisory Pharmacy Technician, pharmacy technicians perform routine pharmacy functions including receiving prescriptions from patients in writing or electronically from physicians.

Pharmacy technicians prepare prescriptions by counting, pouring, weighing, measuring, and mixing the medication if necessary.

Pharmacy technicians maintain patient profiles, prepare insurance claim forms, stock, and take inventory of medications.

Pharmacy technicians prepare medications for inpatients in various settings, including sterile product preparation.

Pharmacy technician coordinators perform the full range of program coordination in their specialized area of pharmacy.

These positions require independent technical judgement and expertise in complex areas of pharmacy practice that have specific laws, significant regulatory requirements and quality/safety standards.

They organize, coordinate and manage single or multiple programs under the delegation of pharmacy supervisors or Associate Chiefs.

Pharmacy technicians at this level must have expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for the complex program area and manage all aspects of compliance with these standards with limited input from pharmacy supervisor(s).

Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be assigned as a coordinator in areas requiring detailed regulatory oversight and record keeping including, but not limited, to the Controlled Substance Program, Research/Investigational Drug Program, Procurement, Automation & Informatics program, Quality/Patient Safety, Clinical or Call Center.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., weekends possible Ad Hoc Telework: Telework that occurs on an occasional, non-routine basis.

Telework that occurs to complete short-term special assignments or to accommodate special circumstances even though the telework arrangement may occur continuously for a limited and specific period of time.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: F06761 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Note: This position is not a Bargaining Unit position.

This position is covered by a special rate. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.

Current Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action).

The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.