Career Center

Summary

The Pharmacy Technician is a certified professional expected to provide a variety of complex technical functions that requires the application of an extensive knowledge of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy practices. The employee assists the pharmacist in providing optimal pharmaceutical care and timely customer service in accordance with the mission - vision and goals of VA Healthcare System.

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:

• 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 technicians appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Education or Experience
• None required
• 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: Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
• OR National Health-career Association (NHA) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials
• 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: PTCB as a CPhT
• OR NHA as a ExCPT
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ and VA HANDBOOK 5005/159
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws General Duties Accurately interpret - fills - and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification
• Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines Records expiration dates in the automatic prescription dispensing system upon receipt
• 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
• Completes procurement duties which include assisting with monitoring and management of physical inventory (supplies and medications)
• Reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile)
• This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used for final pharmacist verification
• Uses standard protocols to determine an accurate expiration date for each reconstituted medication
• Assists in training and orientation of new staff technicians - interns - and students
• Complies with all VHA - Medical Center - and Pharmacy regulations - directives - policies - and procedures
• Controlled Substances Activities: These functions will be assisting in or the absence of a controlled substance technician
• Appropriately restocks controlled substances items in automated secured cabinets (i.e. - Pyxis) - in pharmacy - or throughout the facility as assigned
• Documents all controlled substance related transactions as indicated by VA and DEA guidelines
• Assures that inventory counts are correct at the time of restocking and filling
• Ensures that proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances - assuring that these medications are never left unsecured
• Inpatient Pharmacy Activities(when assigned):Sterile Product Compounding These functions will be assisting in or the absence of the sterile compounding technician
• Follow USP 797/800 Guidelines for the compounding of all sterile preparations - including ophthalmic - cardioplegic - TPN - hazardous - large & small volume IV solutions - PCAs - etc
• Manufactures uncomplicated and/or complicated parenteral admixtures to be delivered in the form of large volume - small volume - infusion syringe or other as required
• Correctly interprets physician orders - selects - and measures appropriate ingredients - mixes ingredients in a safe and effective manner - inspects the final product for accuracy - suitability - and elegance - labels the product - maintains records of the manufacturing process - and supplies the product for pharmacist verification and delivery
• Unit Dose Medication Management Performs review of medications prepared by another pharmacy employee to be dispensed to clinic areas
• Inventories and replenishes emergency trays
• Operates and maintains automated dispensing unit dose systems
• Automatic Replenishment/Ward Stock Correctly inventories - assesses - and determines the need for floor stock and external medication
• Follows established policies and procedures - schedules - inventory levels - and usage rate reports to determine appropriate stock levels for specific areas of use
• Accurately fills prescription items for wards using Automatic Replenishment reports
• Outpatient Pharmacy Activities (when assigned):Prescription Assembly Assembles prescriptions properly with the correct drug - strength - quantity - auxiliary labels - and prescription labels
• for window dispensing and mail delivery Assures that the correct medication is filled by using bar code scanning on stock bottles
• Supports automation by manually completing prescriptions not processed through the automation dispensing machine
• Window Pick-Up Verifies the patient's identification following the facility's policies (i.e. - double patient identifiers) Verifies that the patient receives the correct prescriptions by using VA software (i.e. - ScriptPro barcode scanning) Verifies the patient has received all prescriptions (i.e. - refrigerated - controlled substances - bulk medications - etc.) Mail Packaging Utilizes and comprehends the mail shipping programs used by the facility (i.e. - USPS - UPS - etc.) for overnight delivery of non-controlled and controlled prescriptions
• Performs searches - updates patient information - and generates shipping reports as requested by the supervisor
• Calls patients to arrange delivery of refrigerated prescriptions and verifies patients address
• Work Schedule: Pharmacy core hours of operation are Monday - Friday - 7AM-7PM
• ***Schedule will vary to include days - nights - weekends and holidays
• Occasional overtime may be required
• Specific schedules will be discussed during interviews
• Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required