Pharmacy Technician - Procurement/Inventory
What you'd do
The Procurement/Inventory Pharmacy Technician acts as a lead ordering officer for inpatient or outpatient pharmacy services at a high-complexity facility. The technician guides other pharmacy technicians in inventory management, purchasing, and managing shortages. Responsibilities include overseeing medication and supply inventory, ensuring compliance with federal regulations, and maintaining necessary documentation.
Major duties
Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties A. Administrative Analyze and reassess priorities for workload effectiveness and efficiency. Evaluate pharmacy activities for goal achievement. Identify duplication of efforts and streamline processes. Report and encourage reporting of medication errors. Participate in quality improvement initiatives. Ensure compliance with departmental and regulatory policies. Strive to improve patient satisfaction and reduce costs. Work collaboratively as a team member. Oversee pharmacy inventory security and report inconsistencies. Attend required procurement and pharmacy meetings. Stay organized and efficient despite interruptions. Assess factors affecting ordering and shipping arrangements. B. Pharmaceutical Purchasing and Distribution Serve as lead ordering officer for pharmacy services. Cover both inpatient and outpatient procurement as needed. Train and oversee procurement staff. Guide staff on pharmaceutical availability and ordering. Ensure adherence to federal contracts and regulations. Oversee inventory control and stock level management. Guide on pharmaceutical procurement within budget guidelines. Maintain certification to order narcotics. Purchase using federal contracts and ensure proper documentation. Reconcile and document inventory receipts for accountability. Maintain DSCSA documentation per FDA requirements. Act as facility records liaison for procurement. Understand requirements for hazardous and non-hazardous drugs. Oversee removal and disposal of expired medications. Process returns of unusable inventory as per policy. Maintain internal inventory and track removals. Participate in drug recall program and sequester products. Maintain knowledge of controlled substance regulations. Manage stock levels and conduct annual inventory. Respond to drug distribution and supply inquiries. Coordinate specialty medication delivery with providers and patients. Maintain required training and certification. Ensure separation of duties in compliance with policy. Perform duties of lower-graded technicians when necessary. Perform other assigned duties. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. 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: Ad-hoc as determined by the agency. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 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. English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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 (GS-07 and above): 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). National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). Grandfather Provision: A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. GS-09, Pharmacy Technician Grade Determination: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-09 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-08). AND 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). National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). AND Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs: 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.). Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports. Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area. 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). Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area. Knowledge of pharmaceutical and supply inventory requirements to ensure compliance with regulations and national/audit/inspections (e.g., financial regulations, The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, DEA, USP 797/800, FDA 503A/B). Knowledge of clinical specifications, characteristics and ordering processes of a wide variety of soft prosthetics and supply items (e.g., catheters, colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy supply and associated products) that technicians procure to dispense to Veterans in the outpatient pharmacy setting. Skill in managing specialized programs related to inventory including, but not limited to, specialty medications and supplies, All Hazards Emergency Cache Program, recalls, reverse distribution and pharmaceutical waste. Preferred Experience: Experience in pharmacy inventory management. 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-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-09. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.
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