Career Center

Summary

The Inpatient Pharmacy Technician works at the Syracuse VA Medical Center processes and fills inpatient medication orders (unit dose - IV admixture - ward stock - etc). The incumbent will also maintain the medication storage and stocking processes for the Automated Dispensing Cabinet (ADC) - communicate department requests and needs to ancillary departments both verbally and written - and train staff in departmental processes and procedures as appropriate.

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
• 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: Pharmacy Technician - GS-07 Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower 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: (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 all of the following KSAs: (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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service
• 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).

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties may include but are not limited to: Unit Dose: - Reviews all orders for therapeutic propriety - the technician reviews all orders for technical accuracy and prepares the order - if necessary - so that the item dispensed corresponds to the drug and dose ordered
• - Prepares and/or prepacks individual unit dose medications to be dispensed to the inpatient and clinic areas
• - Ensures all medication is labeled appropriately to include barcode - drug name and dose - expiration - lot number - and any necessary auxiliary labels
• Veteran-specific information is included if being prepared patient specific
• - Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile) - following established compounding records
• This includes calculating and converting proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used
• Ensures final check by pharmacist prior to product being released from the pharmacy
• - Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines - including the storage of high-risk - look a-like sound a-like - hazardous - controlled substances - corrosive chemical - flammable liquids - and refrigerated items
• Ward Stock/Inventory Management - Receives - checks - rotates - and places stock received from pharmacy procurement section and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies to assure correct items have been received
• - Inventories and replenishes emergency code cart trays and code carts
• - Maintains - verifies - stocks - and replaces pharmaceutical drug items stored in ADCs (i.e. - Pyxis or equivalent)
• Ensures par levels are maintained and drugs due to expire are pulled in accordance with pharmacy procedures
• Sterile Product Compounding (as needed) - Responsible for preparation of complicated parenteral admixtures to be delivered in the form of large volume - small volume - infusion syringe - etc
• and for the manufacturing of parenteral nutritional admixtures under a sterile environment
• Responsible for preparation of sterile pharmaceuticals which are associated with a high degree of toxicity (i.e. - antineoplastics)
• - Reviews the medication order request - selecting and measuring appropriate ingredients - mixing ingredients in a safe and effective manner - inspecting the final product for accuracy - suitability - and elegance - labeling the product - maintaining records of the manufacturer process and supplying the product for delivery only after a final check has been performed by pharmacist
• - Appropriately and effectively uses IV room equipment (i.e. - repeater pump) and technology (i.e. - IV Prep) to prevent errors - reduce waste - and optimize medication compounding workflows
• Controlled Substance Activities (as needed) - Maintains accurate electronic inventory through decrementing prescriptions - receiving inventory - stocking and transferring to ADCs - dispensing on green sheets - and transferring to other dispensing vaults
• - Ensures that proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances - always assuring that these medications are never left unsecured
• - Ability to prepare - fill (including prepacking) - and dispense controlled substance according to policies and procedures
• - Maintains - verifies - stocks - and replaces outdated controlled substance medications from stock - including inpatient wards - inpatient/outpatient storage cabinets - vaults
• - Assists - reviews - and makes recommendations in inventory control of controlled substances
• - Prepares - operates - restocks - and maintains complex ADCs (i.e. - Pyxis) and all necessary equipment supporting pharmaceutical patient care functions
• - Maintains security of controlled substances by controlling access to storage areas - and by ensuring that controlled substances are always kept in the locked - supervised area - specifically designated for controlled substance storage
• Other Duties as assigned Work Schedule: Intermittent 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 #: 11654-F