The pharmacy technician-procurement position is located in the pharmacy at VA Western Colorado Health Care System (WCHCS) & the duties will consist of pharmaceutical & supply order initiations, receiving shipments of goods, assuring compliance with storage requirements, inventory control through perpetual analysis, fund control, liaison with company representatives & managerial staff, & resource statistician for financial status reports & presentations.

Duties

Organizes and follows through with work processes and address issues pro-actively. Responsible for all Pharmacy purchasing functions including inventory control, purchasing and reconciliation of all monies and accounts. Responsible for all ongoing inventories of drug products and pharmaceutical supplies and their procurement. Utilizes accounting and budgetary skills to assure pharmaceuticals and supplies are maintained in the most appropriate, cost-effective manner. In addition, must possess a thorough understanding of the multidisciplinary functions in the A&MMS (Acquisition & Materiel Management Service)-Fiscal-Pharmacy cycle to identify and eliminate bottlenecks relating to the receipt of purchases and maintaining the pharmacy budget. Maintains accountability of daily purchases and coordinates receipt, assures consistent delivery schedules, and appropriately disperses stock into designated storage areas. Determines, establishes, and modifies as necessary, appropriate ordering intervals, inventory levels, most efficient/effective ordering quantities, sources of supply, etc., based on current financial conditions in pharmacy, seasonal variations in drug usage, changing patterns of medical practice, delivery time requirements, urgency of medical need, alternative sources of availability, etc. Communicates directly with Prime Vendor, manufacturer's representatives, and other wholesalers in order to maintain supplies to meet the needs of the Medical Center. Keeps abreast of all manufacturer drug shortages or projected shortages, takes appropriate action to ensure a sufficient supply of affected products, and makes pharmacy personnel aware of shortages. Uses knowledge of policies and procedures for inventory management to develop, implement and maintain processes and methodologies to stay within Pharmacy Section budget. Responsible for proper use of issued Purchase Card, including obtaining approved medications and supplies form federally approved sources, reconciling Purchase Card invoices and control point activities and coordinating with Accounting Section and Fiscal Service in a timely manner. Responsible for all aspects of Drug Accountability program in VISTA, including downloading all prime vendor invoices and the accuracy of this process. Supervises Pharmacy stocking, ensuring that stock is rotated, all outdated or recalled items are removed and properly disposed of and maintaining an appropriate level of inventory. Maintains contacts at other area hospitals and pharmacies and tracks and makes provisions to borrow and repay items on an emergency basis. Maintains integrity of controlled substance inventory by ensuring that all controlled substances are added to the inventory when they arrive and are signed out of inventory as they are dispensed. Responsible for all aspects of returns contractor process, including reports, monitoring of monies expected/received and controlled substance returns. Quarterly, processes outdated, unusable, and excess inventory for return to prime vendor or returns contractor for credit. Uses organized system to track credits owed and received. Communicates with pharmacy, medical, surgical and mental health staff to obtain special request/procurement medications, or urgently needed items. Serves as Pharmacy Recall Coordinator. Pro-actively keeps abreast of all manufacturer and FDA recalls. Notifies Pharmacy personnel and affected Medical Center staff of recalled items. Ensures that recalled items are removed from all patient care areas and Pharmacy shelves and are properly disposed of. Completes electronic recall report. Responsible for training all new Pharmacy staff regarding inventory and purchasing processes and expectations. Responsible for training, monitoring, and improving the performance of Pharmacy Technicians who act as the backup Procurement / Inventory Pharmacy Technician. Responsible for independently gathering, evaluating and analyzing data to improve processes. Assists the Pharmacy Chief in drug cost analysis to assure continuing maximal economy. This includes identifying drugs with the various manufacturers concerned to determine the best procurement cost, unit dose purchases, identification of less expensive alternative medications of the same therapeutic classification, etc. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available Telework: Ad hoc as authorized by supervisor Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 53055-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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: Citizenship. Citizens 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). 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 in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Pharmacy Technician GS-7 Experience. One year experience at the next lower level (GS-6) and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level (GS-6). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): Certification. PTCB certification is required at this grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: *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. References: VA Handbook 5005/15 Part II, Appendix G28. Physical Requirements: See 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 Western Colorado Health Care System 2121 North Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81501 US
• Name: Gina Hammer
• Phone: 970-263-2800
• Email: [email protected]