The Clinical Pharmacy Technician is a certified Pharmacy Technician with the ability to support the clinical programs at the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Health Care System. The incumbent will provide administrative, clerical and clinical support which serves in the outpatient and specialty clinics, Check-in Pharmacy, Community Care Prescription Processing, and Anticoagulation Clinic.

Duties

Anticoagulation Clinic Support Obtains necessary supplies from laboratory service and stocks and reviews supply for proper storage and outdates. Performs Point of Care (POC) testing for International Normalized Ratio (INR). Reviews medication history, changes, adherence and complications of therapy during scheduled INR testing process. Assists with addressing direct oral anticoagulation (DOAC) dashboard flags. Monitors and alerts Pharmacist to available DOAC lab monitoring results. Assists with scheduling future lab orders and follow up appointments. Prints daily schedules and "no shows/lost to follow up" reports for patients on Warfarin and reviews patient records for out-of-range INRs being addressed. Alerts providers of need to address out-of-range INR results. Reviews both reports and patients' electronic health record (EHR) to identify which patients have and have not been followed-up with in the last 60 days. Provides support rescheduling patients who have missed appointments, completes telephone interviews of patients who have obtained INRs from outside labs, and triages incoming telephone calls from patients, family members and other health providers. Addresses INR results utilizing a facility-approved Warfarin protocol. Manages and triages telephone calls, secure messages and faxes received in the Anticoagulation Management Program. Documents activities in the Electronic Health Record as required. Prescriptions from Outside VA Receives and reviews prescriptions received from outside clinics to determine appropriate eligibility, to include Care in the Community, Fee Basis, Aid & Attendance and Self-Directed Care. Validates electronic prescriptions to confirm the appropriate patient, provider and medication are selected when submitting the prescription to the VA EHR. Identifies formulary medications and coordinates process for approval of non-formulary or prior authorization medications, to include obtaining documentation, as necessary. Communicates non-formulary and prior authorization denials to non-VA clinics and provides supporting documentation, as necessary. Monitors and documents actions taken to ensure prescriptions are addressed timely. Documents activities in the Electronic Health Record as required. Patient Care Answers questions from Pharmacy and non-Pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems and alerts Pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention. Documents activities in the Electronic Health Record as required. Other Duties Participates in quality assurance, process improvement activities and performance monitors. Performs monthly inspections for outdates. Assists in other patient care areas as deemed necessary to maintain the consistency of overall Pharmacy services. Participates and assists in patient care activities during emergency situations. Work Schedule: Administrative Days Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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: None Required. 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. Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT) Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician GS-8 Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience at or equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7), which includes, but know limited to: Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work; Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent; Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers; Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students; Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution; Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases. AND Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.) Note: See Specialized Area in the Definitions Section. Specialized Area. Areas within pharmacy that require advanced knowledge, skills and abilities to ensure a high level of accountability for patient safety, quality of care and/or VHA or other regulatory requirements. Examples include, but are not limited to compounding sterile products, controlled substance dispensing, research, automation, clinical informatics, quality assurance, hazardous medication compounding/management, immunizations and clinical pharmacy assignments. Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/159 PART II APPENDIX G28 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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 St Cloud VA Medical Center 4801 Veterans Drive St Cloud, MN 56303 US
• Name: Breeze Hennes
• Phone: (320) 252-1670 X5222
• Email: [email protected]