Career Center

Summary

This position is located in the Pharmacy Service at the Birmingham VA Health Care System. Duties will include delivery of medications to floors/ patients - filling medications for the pharmacist to review. Areas of coverage may include but are not limited to: inpatient pharmacy - outpatient pharmacy - IV room - various storage areas - and patient care areas. Pharmacy technicians fall under the supervision of a pharmacy supervisor or a registered pharmacist.

Qualifications

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:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 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
• Please submit transcripts to verify education
• 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 in paragraph 5 - VA HR staff must use the following criteria to determine the appropriate grade assignment of candidates
• Pharmacy Technician - GS-04
• 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
• 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
• Assignments
• Employees at this grade level serve in a pharmacy technician developmental position
• Pharmacy technicians at this level perform duties such as dispensing prescriptions at the pharmacy window and prepacking medications
• Pharmacy Technician - GS-05
• 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 (48 semester hours of concentrated pharmacy technician training)
• OR (c) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• 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
• Assignments
• Pharmacy technicians at this developmental level perform all duties expected of employees at lower grade levels
• however - they are expected to exercise greater judgement - require less supervision and operate in accordance with all established policies and procedures
• Pharmacy technicians at this grade level will fill orders and dispense/ deliver medications using automated systems
• These technicians require oversight of assigned duties by full performance level technicians and or pharmacists
• Pharmacy Technician - GS-06
• Education or Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level
• 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
• Assignments
• Pharmacy technicians at the full performance level may fill orders - dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs
• Duties will include 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
• Preferred Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level
• 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-4 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include - however - not limited to: Reads and interprets prescriptions - obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form
• determines proper amount and counts - pours - or measures the medications
• affixes proper label and auxiliary labels
• and records required data on electronically or via the Pharmacy's copy of prescription/order
• Replenishes inventory for emergency carts - kits - and trays
• Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvements purposes
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile) without a second review
• This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used Answers questions and calls from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution
• Identifies basic therapeutic problems such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention
• Monitors refrigerator temperature daily in assigned areas
• Perform monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and soon to expired drugs are removed
• Completes inspection reports in compliance with regulatory requirements
• Maintains - verifies - stocks and replaces outdates in patient care area automated dispensing machines throughout the facility (i.e. - floors and clinics) Processes and fills outpatient prescriptions in compliance with regulations - policies - and procedures
• Utilizes the automated dispensing machine (i.e
• Scriptpro) for packaging and dispensing medications
• Assembles prescriptions properly with the correct drug - strength - quantity - auxiliary labels - and prescription labels
• Assures that the correct medication is filled by using bar code scanning on stock bottles
• Appropriately assigns and prints label for completed prescriptions notating if it's window - mail - UPS - refrigerated or non-refrigerated item
• Supports automation by manually completing prescriptions not processed through the automation dispensing machine
• Assures the timely completion of all prescriptions Work Schedule: Between 6:00AM - 6:00PM (8 hr. - shifts - rotating weekends - holidays - and nights.) Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): 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) Telework: Not available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 60722F - 60065F - 60064F
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.