The incumbent coordinates and oversees all operational aspects of the pharmacy automated dispensing equipment in the outpatient and inpatient areas of the pharmacy. Responsibilities include training new employees in the operation of the equipment, troubleshooting malfunctions when problems arise and monitoring the machines performance to assure the safe and efficient operation of the automated dispensing equipment.

Duties

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Training employees on the operation of the pharmacy automated dispensing equipment including at a minimum Startup and shutdown procedures. Restocking medications in the automated equipment. Recalibration of drug cells when appropriate. Routine maintenance/cleaning of the equipment. Procedures to follow for equipment malfunctions. Troubleshooting pharmacy automated dispensing equipment performance by making minor adjustments to the machine when needed and contacting appropriate staff when service is required. Monitors and documents operation of the pharmacy automated dispensing equipment to assure at a minimum Procedures are followed for operating the equipment. Quality Assurance records are maintained (stock replenishment, cleaning schedule, etc). Maintains competency records for employees operating the equipment. Performs all duties of a staff Pharmacy Technician for VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System Pharmacy Service including: Medication Management Systema) Reads and interprets inpatient and outpatient orders, obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form; determines proper amount counts, pours, or measures the medications; affixes proper label; and records required data on Pharmacy's copy of prescription/order. After a final check by a pharmacist, dispenses medication in ambulatory care, pass or discharge situations. For unit-dose medications, performs final review of medication (prepared by another technician) to be dispensed to inpatient areas (unit-dose carts), and/or fills unit-dose carts independently.b) Inventories and replenishes emergency carts.c) Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as required.d) Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment.e) Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile) without a second review. This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used.f) Performs final verification of simple, non-sterile compounds prepared by lower-level technicians.g) Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention.h) Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessment and action teams and continually seeks to improve services.i) Conducts monthly ward inspection of patient care areas.j) Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdates in patient care area automated machines.k) Monitors inventory needs in patient care areas (ward stock/ automatic replenishment). This includes placing stock in proper storage areas, rotating stock on shelves, and removing/replacing outdated items.l) Monitors refrigerator temperature on all pharmacy refrigerators.m) Performs all the duties of lower graded technicians, if required. new or existing staff so that these competencies are maintained.o) Assists patients with tele-pharmacy applications including patient orientation to the application and provides patient education on pharmacy topics such as the requesting refill process, drug information sheets, and relaying judgmental questions to the pharmacist. n) Maintains a training/education manual for the focus area assigned. Provides training to new or existing staff so that these competencies are maintained.o) Assists patients with tele-pharmacy applications including patient orientation to the application and provides patient education on pharmacy topics such as the requesting refill process, drug information sheets, and relaying judgmental questions to the pharmacist. General Duties; a) Assists in other patient care areas as deemed necessary to maintain consistency of overall pharmacy services. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am-3:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 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. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy technicians appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, 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. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-07: Experience. One year experience at the next lower 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 (*): 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. Assignments. 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 each health care facility. To be advanced, employees must meet all of the following standards, provided the standard is part of their assignment. Determinations concerning placement of positions at this grade level shall take into consideration the skill mix and the availability of supervision in the work unit. Although these positions are under the supervision of a pharmacist, employees in such settings successfully and consistently demonstrate the exercise of independent technical judgment (without the need for readily available supervision) as well as comprehensive and thorough working knowledge of the most complex or difficult practices and procedures. Such individuals may also serve as leaders or co-leaders in a Pharmacy Service or for a specific unit or section. References: See VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G28. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 VA NY Harbor Healthcare System 423 East 23rd Street New York, NY 10010 US
• Name: Maritza Cazares
• Phone: 718-584-9000 X6668
• Email: [email protected]