The Pharmacy Technician acts as a representative of the Pharmacy Service in a variety of pharmacy related functions within the Medical Center. This position functions both in the Inpatient and Outpatient Pharmacy settings, as well as other areas throughout the VA Medical Center as deemed appropriate for patient care and service needs. Temporary Appointment, Not To Exceed 2 Years.

Duties

Duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Although the primary assignment of work schedule and tours may be in either the Inpatient or the Outpatient Pharmacy service area, the incumbent will be trained and expected to function and maintain competency in both areas as needed and assigned. As deemed necessary by the Pharmacy supervisor(s), the incumbent may assist in other patient care areas, as needed, to maintain the consistency of overall Pharmacy services. The physical demands of the work environment may involve prolonged standing and/or walking. Time will be spent with VistA order entry. Work involves some sitting and lifting, pushing or pulling of weights up to 50 pounds. The incumbent will be subjected to bending and stooping. The incumbent is responsible for providing a full range of pharmaceutical service functions including: Answers pharmacy phone calls timely and triages them appropriately. Collects, trends and reports drug use evaluation (DUE) data for quality improvement purposes as required. Actively assists in quality improvement activities by participating in Medical Center and service-level process assessment and action teams and continually seeks to improve services. Identifies basic therapeutic problems such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the Clinical Pharmacist (CP) to the possible need for clinical intervention. Assists with inventory management and procurement of medicines, monitors inventory and relays information to the Pharmacy procurement staff. This also includes placing stock in proper storage areas, rotating stock on shelves as required, and removing/replacing outdated items and notifying procurement for replacement. Provides training to new or existing Pharmacy staff to ensure competencies are developed and maintained. Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile). This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measurements for the amount of drug or solution to be used/dispensed. Possesses an advanced technical knowledge of drug and medication brand names, generic/chemical names, general and special storage requirements, expiration date requirements, manufacturer and distributor sources, dosage forms, applicable systems of weights and measures. Conducts monthly ward inspections of patient care areas. Assists with adverse drug event reporting in VA Adverse Drug Event Reporting System (VAADERs). Performs all the duties of lower graded technicians, as required. Outpatient Pharmacy: Assignments for the Outpatient Pharmacy service area will include, but are not limited to: prescription order filling, pharmacy phone calls triage, window prescription dispensing, controlled substance vault assignments, automation management or other areas that may develop from patients' pharmacy needs. Inpatient Pharmacy: Assignments for the Inpatient Pharmacy service area will include, but are not limited to: intravenous (IV) admixture preparation, unit-dose medication filling and transfer to patient specific carts, automated dispensing cabinets, ward stock replenishment, pharmacy phone calls triage, or other areas that may develop from patients' pharmacy needs. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible:No Telework: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is required at grades GS-6 and above. Certification must be current to support eligibility. Expired certifications are not valid. Physical Requirements. See Below 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. Grade Determinations: GS-6 Level 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 solve problems and make recommendations, e.g., troubleshoot operational problems and refer for appropriate action. 2. Knowledge of the operation and care of automated equipment. 3. Knowledge of, and ability to follow, written instructions for compounding with aseptic technique for hazardous materials such as oncology agents. 4. Knowledge, and ability to perform, compounding with aseptic technique for routine sterile products. 5. Knowledge of policies and procedures for inventory management in specialized areas such as emergency carts. 6. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process demonstrated by the ability to input prescriptions and medication orders. Assignments. Pharmacy technicians may be assigned to any area of the pharmacy including expanded distributive function assignments; for example assignment as team leaders for specific process improvement teams involving technical areas or performing more highly complex duties including preparation of oncology agents for clinical pharmacy specialists. 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. Next Lower Level, GS-5: (One year experience Required) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 1. Ability to operate and care for automated dispensing devices and equipment. 2. Knowledge of, and ability to perform, aseptic technique. 3. Knowledge of basic inventory procedures. 4. Knowledge of pharmacy information systems. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/15 PART II APPENDIX G28 MARCH 17, 2006 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. Physical Requirements: Work involves some sitting and lifting, pushing, or pulling of weights up to 50 pounds. The incumbent will be subjected to bending and stooping. Able to operate motor vehicle. Able to carry 20 pounds for short distances. ****All required documentation must be uploaded before the announcement closes, to support eligibility****

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 Corporal Michael J Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 3900 Woodland Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104 US
• Name: William Simmons
• Email: [email protected]