Job opening: Lead Inpatient Pharmacy Technician (Open Continuous)
Salary: $52 022 - 67 628 per year
Published at: Aug 01 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
Serves as evening Lead Pharmacy Technician within Pharmacy Service in the Inpatient Pharmacy and works independently under the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisory Technician or designee.
This position is responsible for assisting in providing and coordinating complete pharmaceutical care activities in the Inpatient Pharmacy in agreement with the mission, vision, and goals of the VA Medical Center.
Duties
The employee will act on a broad delegation of authority in order to manage and organize activities of inpatient pharmacy technicians including: planning, organizing and reviewing work, resolving personnel matters, and dealing effectively and professionally with employees and union representatives in regards to employee-management concerns. This position also plans, sets priorities, assigns, schedules and performs all non-pharmacist work in the unit to support the overall function of the Inpatient Section. The incumbent functions with technical independence in all assigned areas and keeps leadership apprised of trends/problems affecting any aspects of the pharmaceutical services provided. The incumbent recognizes need for changes in policy and procedures and makes viable recommendations.
Develop the work schedule, plan for leave, and rotate duties of the inpatient technician staff as necessary. Project overtime requirements based on workload and staffing. Assures that personnel are scheduled in such a way as to provide consistency of coverage and to accommodate planned leave and promote employee morale.
Assess workload volume throughout the day, identify backlogs, and make staffing adjustments as needed to meet organizational goals.
Assigns daily tasks to pharmacy technicians and reviews their work through spot checks, audits and observations for appropriateness, timeliness, and accuracy - reporting any discrepancies to Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisory Technician.
Perform quality assurance checks on all assigned items in the section.
Identifies areas of duplication of efforts and works to develop solutions to streamline.
Coordinate day-to-day maintenance and operation of inpatient pharmacy area equipment and automation.
Oversee the controlled substance vault and all other specialty areas as required and assigned.
Assist the supervisory in interviewing and selecting new employees and candidates for promotion and/or reassignment.
Assist with the development of performance standards that are realistic, challenging, and supporting the organizational mission, vision, and goals. Working closely with the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisory Technician to ensure all employees meet performance standards and competencies. Identify areas for improvement as needed. Assists the Supervisory Technician in interviewing and selecting new employees and candidates for promotion and/or reassignment. Make recommendations of employees for performance awards and other forms of recognition. Coordinates training/re-training of staff and schedules it in a timely manner.
Assists and recommends counseling and disciplinary action based upon conduct under the supervision of the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisory Technician, Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor and with guidance from Employee Labor Relations. Works to achieve goals and objectives of service, EEO goals and performance goals. Deals effectively with employees and union representatives on employee suggestions, complaints, grievances and other matters involved in day to day administration of labor management agreements. Participates in revising performance standards when indicated with the Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisory Technician.
Conduct technician meetings to assure proper updates of departmental and hospital communications. Extensive knowledge of human resource management policies and procedures. Assists with the training, orientation, and re-training of employees to pharmacy service and ensure appropriate documentation. Address any identified deficiencies with Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisory Technician. Will perform any duties of a pharmacy technician when the needs of the service require.
Ensures and supports High Reliability Organization (HRO) principles and promotes workflow that meets Veteran Centric patient care needs. Accomplishes by Reports adverse drug events (ADE), near misses, and medication errors in alignment with VA ADERS, JPSR, and any other pertinent reporting programs. and developing action plans when necessary.
Responsible to review and develop training documents, necessary SOP and policies and procedures that support the mission.
Utilizes an excellent working knowledge of all US Pharmacopoeia, TJC, and VA manual storage requirements to determine well-defined drug and supply storage locations with a special emphasis on security and special storage instructions. Designs/develops floor plans for stock location changes to maximize drug storage space. Ensures that all drug and supply storage conform to VA and OSHA standards.
Perform timekeeper duties as assigned.
Inventories and replenishes emergency carts.
May deliver to CBOCS as needed.
Other duties as assigned by supervisor.
Work Schedule: 2:00-10:30pm. Includes weekends and holidays as needed for Veteran care.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
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: Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
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 the GS-6 level and above. A copy of your certification must be submitted with your application. Only PTCB will be accepted.
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. One year of experience equivalent to at least the next lower level (GS-06) that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. You must fully meet the KSAs at the GS-6 level which includes: ability to solve problems and make recommendations, e.g., troubleshoot operational problems and refer for appropriate action; knowledge of the operation and care of automated equipment; knowledge of, and ability to follow, written instructions for compounding with aseptic technique for hazardous materials such as oncology agents; knowledge, and ability to perform, compounding with aseptic techniques for routine sterile products; knowledge of policies and procedures for inventory management in specialized areas such as emergency carts; and knowledge of the computerized prescription process demonstrated by the ability to input prescriptions and medication orders.
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*):
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
*1. Ability to evaluate, analyze workflow, and coordinate work activities.
2. Ability to independently gather, evaluate, and analyze data to generate reports and/or for other projects/statistical purposes.
3. Knowledge of pharmacy policies and procedures sufficient to train and orient new employees and other staff.
4. Comprehensive knowledge of the operation and care of specialized pharmaceutical equipment.
5. Comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process.
6. Comprehensive knowledge of investigational drug policies and procedures.
7. Comprehensive knowledge of controlled substance policies and procedures, and the ability to identify and investigate discrepancies in these policies and procedures.
8. Comprehensive knowledge of, and ability to, analyze data in VA information systems.
References: VA Handbook 5005/15; PART II; APPENDIX G28. Pharmacy Technician, 0661.
Valid Drivers license and car insurance required.
Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that they are medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination.
NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07.
Physical Requirements:
(1) The incumbent must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the duties of this position.
(2) The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing/sitting for prolonged periods of time, considerable walking, frequent twisting/turning, and bending/stooping.
(3) Principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers when compounding or manipulating medications. Frequent manipulation of IV preparation will require repeated dexterity exertion with pressure up to 20 pounds.
(4) The incumbent must be able to perform lifting/carrying, pushing, or pulling different types of equipment such as cabinets, carts or supplies weighing at minimum 50 pounds through various terrains.
(5) Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used on the job in the areas as assigned.
Duty Hours (1) The position is variable and includes evenings, midnights, weekends and/or holidays as assigned. (2) This full-time position will be 40 hours/week unless otherwise stated. (3) The position has on-site requirements, telework is not applicable.
Education
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 Edward Hines Junior Hospital
5000 South 5th Avenue
Hines, IL 60141
US
- Name: Patricia Reynolds
- Phone: 727-710-2678
- Email: [email protected]
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