Pharmacy Technician
What you'd do
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
Major duties
1. Ability to prepare, fill, and dispense controlled substance according to policies and procedures. 2. Conducts regularly scheduled inventories every 72 hours and daily if needed according to regulations and policies. 3. Assists the Controlled Substance Compliance Inspectors to complete the monthly inspections 4. Effectively coordinates, manages, completes, and documents the purchasing of all prescription and non-prescription drug products and supplies by maintaining a comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process. 5. Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdated CS medications from stock including inpatient wards, inpatient/outpatient storage cabinets, vaults. 6. Maintains accurate electronic inventory through decrementing prescriptions, entering received inventory, transferring to automated dispensing cabinets, dispensing on green sheets, and transferring to other dispensing vaults. 7. Follows policies and procedures for handling the destruction and return of controlled substance medication. 8. Works with pharmacy procurement personnel by providing information regarding medications and supplies needed from the warehouse or wholesaler based on items used. 9. Assists, reviews, and makes recommendations in inventory control of controlled substances. 10. Monitors, analyzes orders, and usage/distribution patterns for questionable circumstances or unusual trends. Communicates potential problems to the Pharmacy Manager. 11. Provides training for pharmacists, interns, technicians, inspectors, students, and others in controlled substance accountability procedures. 12. Prepares, operates, restocks, and maintains complex automated dispensing cabinets and all necessary equipment supporting pharmaceutical patient care functions. 13. Maintains file of hard copy of hand-written CII-V prescriptions. 14. Resolves inventory discrepancies immediately when discovered by reviewing reports and contacting appropriate persons when needed. Reports discrepancies to pharmacy supervisor for follow up. 15. Ensures all controlled substances procedures abide by all local requirements, VISN, OIG and VHA handbook expectations and requirements, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, VACO directives, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requirements, appropriate inventory management practices, and other state and local requirements that apply. 16. 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. Work Schedule: 8 hour shift between 5:30am to 6:00 pm with rotating WHEN hours EDRP Authorized: Yes. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Learn more Functional Statement #: 60070F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
What you need to qualify
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. Education or Experience: 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 (GS7), 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). 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: Preferred Experience: GS-08: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and demonstrate the KSAs below. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs for all GS-08 assignments and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: (a) Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.) Note: See Specialized Area in the Definitions Section. (b) Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. (c) Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy. 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). 2 years of Health-System Pharmacy Experience. Prior experience using ScriptPro and Pyxis automated systems. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The 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. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06 .
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.