The Quality Assurance (QA) Pharmacy Technician is a specialized pharmacy technician who is responsible for supporting the quality program within the Pharmacy Service at the New Mexico VA Healthcare System. The primary responsibilities involve support of the Integrated Quality Program Manager, Associate Chief, Clinical Pharmacy Services, Pharmacy Operations, and Service, in compliance audits, administrative duties, patient safety activities, and quality/performance improvement initiatives.

Duties

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Compliance Audits Collects data, analyzes, prepares reports, and presents results for routine safety, performance, and regulatory compliance monitoring or as needed for the plan-do-study-act cycle of ongoing quality improvement initiatives and medication use evaluations Reports may include, but are not limited to, pharmacy service performance and compliance metrics reported to the Pharmacy Performance Improvement (PI) Committee, safety metrics reported to the Interdisciplinary Medication Safety Committee, and reports presented to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee Data will be gathered from a variety of sources, including VistA, CPRS, ScriptPro, and Omnicell, utilizing numerous software tools for analysis and presentation, such as Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Visio, Adobe Acrobat, and online dashboards built with the Power BI, Pyramid Analytics, and/or Business Intelligence Service Line (BISL) software Coordinates collection of requested information from subject matter experts during real and mock audits from regulatory/accrediting bodies, including The Joint Commission (TJC), Office of Inspector General (OIG),Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) programs, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacy (ASHP) for the purposes of pharmacy residency accreditation Conducts unannounced and scheduled inspections of pharmacy and medical center drug storage, preparation, or dispensing areas to assess continuous readiness, including compliance with environment of care, infection control, medication security/storage standards, and national directives, local policies, procedures, and standards of work Administrative/General Duties Attends routine meetings related to quality management in Pharmacy Service, including for the Pharmacy Performance Improvement (PI) Committee, Interdisciplinary Medication Safety Committee, VISN 22 Medication Safety Team, National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) Collaborative, or other committee/workgroup meetings as identified by the Chief, Associate Chief(s), or Integrated Quality Program Manager Following the principles of Robert's Rules of Order, develops agendas, collates meeting materials, then records and distributes meeting minutes for the Pharmacy Performance Improvement (PI) Committee, Interdisciplinary Medication Safety Committee meeting, and for other quality-related committee/workgroup meetings as identified by the Chief, Associate Chief(s), or Integrated Quality Program Manager Manages electronic communication, including via instant message or email, efficiently and professionally Work Schedule: 730-4 M-F Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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. Education or Experience: A high school diploma or equivalent; or at least 3 months experience. Certification: PTCB certification is required at this grade level and above. Loss of Credential: An employee in this occupation who fails to obtain licensure/certification/registration within the required time frame, or who fails to maintain the required licensure/certification/registration must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) at all grade levels, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation for which he/she qualifies if a placement opportunity exists. For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) in assignments above the full-performance level only, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may remain at an appropriate lower grade level in the occupation when both of the following apply: the credential is not a requirement and placement opportunity exist. 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: GS-7 Pharmacy Technician: Applicants must have 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): *Ability to evaluate, analyze workflow, and coordinate work activities. Ability to independently gather, evaluate, and analyze data to generate reports and/or for other projects/statistical purposes. Knowledge of pharmacy policies and procedures sufficient to train and orient new employees and other staff. Comprehensive knowledge of the operation and care of specialized pharmaceutical equipment. Comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process. Comprehensive knowledge of investigational drug policies and procedures. Comprehensive knowledge of controlled substance policies and procedures, and the ability to identify and investigate discrepancies in these policies and procedures. Comprehensive knowledge of, and ability to, analyze data in VA information systems. Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be assigned as a supervisor; lead technician in a particular area of the pharmacy; a controlled substance technician; an investigational drug technician; a procurement/inventory management technician; a clinical pharmacy technician; or similar assignment with this level of complexity. The GS-7 level is for select, complex pharmacy technician positions, as established by the health care facility. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G28 - Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standards. Physical Requirements: Routinely involved in walking, bending, stooping, lifting and handling items not to exceed 50 lbs. Includes prolonged periods of standing and irregular work shifts.

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 Raymond G Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1501 San Pedro Drive, Southeast Albuquerque, NM 87108 US
• Name: Sandra Placencia
• Phone: 916-843-9225
• Email: [email protected]