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. 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.

Duties

VA Puget Sound is a university affiliated teaching, research, and clinical center with a diverse Veteran population in outpatient, inpatient, and extended care settings. Services are provided from two primary campuses located in Seattle and Tacoma and seven community-based outpatient clinics. This position is at the Seattle campus in the Inpatient Pharmacy where the incumbent has responsibility for daily maintenance and oversight of all Inpatient Pharmacy automated dispensing equipment in the Central Pharmacy. Some of the roles, responsibilities, and duties include: General Automation Duties Ensure equipment is cleaned and maintained to minimize downtime. Train and orient pharmacy staff, controlled substance inspectors, and other medical vendor staff involved in operating the automation. Resolve problems and complaints regarding Pharmacy automation. Coordinate implementation of new automation. Coordinate the technical aspect of Inpatient Pharmacy drug distribution activities to ensure standard operating procedures are in alignment with automation capabilities so efficiencies are maximized. Instrumental in recommending changes for the improvement of workflow, work methods, and priorities involved within the drug distribution system. Inpatient Pharmacy Automation Troubleshoot problems with the current inpatient automation (Omnicell) and any future automation. Ensure adequate off-line inventory levels of unit dose medications packaged through automation are maintained. Add new and delete unneeded medications to maintain current inventory. Inventory and replenish automated dispensing devices. Maintain automation user files. Add new and delete obsolete items from the Omnicell drug library. Optimize inventory in automated dispensing devices to ensure minimal waste and minimal stockouts. Controlled Substances Abide by the laws and regulations pertaining to controlled substances and follow all VHA, DEA, and local facility requirements. Know and follow standard operating procedures for maintaining complete, accurate, and readily retrievable controlled drug accountability records. Train new employees how to work in the vault and distribute controlled substances. Receive controlled substances from vendors and restock shelves according to standard operating procedures. Fill inpatient and clinic requests for controlled substances; fill outpatient prescriptions for controlled substances. Participate in routine inventory counts and inspections and identify questionable circumstances or unusual trends in narcotic usage. After immediately reporting a discrepancy to the supervisor, ensure vault discrepancies are thoroughly investigated and provide recommendations to the appropriate pharmacy supervisor for process improvements. Ensure all lower graded employees receive returned stock into inventory and ensure documentation and audit trail is complete and accurate. Prepare expired or unusable controlled substances for destruction. Work with the procurement technicians to ensure appropriate inventory balance and that all invoices and 222 forms are appropriately filed and readily retrievable. Ensure all vault inventories are conducted as per department guidelines. Unit Dose Medication Management Fill unit dose and automated dispensing cabinet orders. Receive inventory from vendors using provided technology, apply bar-code or other labeling as indicated and restock shelves. Inventory and replenish emergency cart trays and carts. Operate and provide routine maintenance for pharmacy equipment, such as automated dispensing machines and barcode label printers. Repackage a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, labeling them properly and leaving them for final verification. Perform automatic replenishment and processes requests for ward stock and perform record keeping for these activities. Inspect ward stock supplies for unapproved items, storage practices, and outdates, then perform record keeping for these activities. Other Duties Serve as service line timekeeper on a regular basis. Assist in quality management of Pharmacy Service by participating in process action teams and continually seeking ways to improve the service provided to patients and other customers. Serve as on-line back up to other pharmacy technicians, including answering phones, helping patients at the window, filling prescriptions, and preparing packages for mail out. Assist the Operations Supervisor and Technician Supervisor collecting data for workload reports and process improvement projects. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri, 8am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact VISN 20 @ [email protected] Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.). Education or Experience. A high school diploma or equivalent; or at least 3 months experience. Certification. Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is required at grades GS-6 and above. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy Technicians appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). GRADE DETERMINATIONS: GS-7. Experience. One year experience at the next lower level, and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: The candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*). (a) *Ability to evaluate, analyze workflow, and coordinate work activities. (b) Ability to independently gather, evaluate, and analyze data to generate reports and/or for other projects/statistical purposes. (c) Knowledge of pharmacy policies and procedures sufficient to train and orient new employees and other staff. (d) Comprehensive knowledge of the operation and care of specialized pharmaceutical equipment. (e) Comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process. (f) Comprehensive knowledge of investigational drug policies and procedures. (g) Comprehensive knowledge of controlled substance policies and procedures, and the ability to identify and investigate discrepancies in these policies and procedures. (h) Comprehensive knowledge of, and ability to, analyze data in VA information systems. Preferred Experience: Experience with inpatient Pharmacy Automation technology (Omnicell, Pyxis, ScriptPro, Codontics, Inpatient Robotic Systems) and inventory management. References: VA Handbook 5005/15, Part II, Appendix G28, March 17, 2006. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds); reaching above the shoulder; use of fingers; standing (up to 6 hours); repeated bending (up to 2 hours); near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; the ability to distinguish basic colors; and mental and emotional stability. Work involves exposure to constant noise and extensive keyboard/mouse use. Must be able to work alone and work closely with others.

Education

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP). If selected for this position, you are encouraged to apply for EDRP within four (4) months of appointment and must meet specific individual eligibility criteria in accordance with VHA Policy 1021. Final award amount and program start date is determined after review of a complete EDRP application, supporting documentation, and final approval by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Please contact the EDRP Coordinator @ [email protected]

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: Joe Julkowski
• Phone: 509-434-7382
• Email: [email protected]