Pharmacy Technicians perform routine pharmacy functions including filling, preparation and dispensing of prescriptions, sterile compounding preparation, management of automated dispensing equipment (ADE), inventory management and multiple types of customer contact services

Duties

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws This position functions primarily for the inpatient care areas of Pharmacy Service under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. The incumbent is responsible on a rotating basis for provision of medications to hospitalized patients using the unit dose, automated dispensing system, and IV admixture preparation. Duties include but are not limited to followng: Pharmacy technician will access to the patient's profile and assures missing dose requests appropriateness, compares the requested missing medications against the active medication profile and notifies pharmacist on duty of any discrepancies, questions, or concerns regarding the patient. Reads and interprets prescriptions in the Medication Management System. Obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form; Determines proper amount and 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, either fills unit dose cart or performs final review of medication prepared by another technician to be dispensed to inpatient areas. Inventories and replenishes medication trays for placement into emergency crash carts. Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes. Operates and maintains pharmacy equipment to include automated unit dose dispensing equipment. Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile). Runs pick list for filling unit dose medication. Reports to pharmacist any pick list discrepancies for resolution. Enters doses dispensed into VISTA to reflect an accurate dispensing record for each patient. 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. Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessment and action teams and continually seeks to improve services. Conducts monthly ward inspections of patient care areas. Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdates in patient care area automated dispensing machines. Orders inventory needs during procurement technician absence. Monitors refrigerator temperature in inpatient care areas and daily in the pharmacy. Delivers stat medications to patient care areas as requested by supervising pharmacist. Uses the AR/WS computer program to generate a list of ward medication needs. Processes requests for ward medications. Prepares and delivers products according to pharmacy operating procedures. Prepares and fills all inpatient orders and requests for controlled substances. Receives new stock and returned stock into inventory by ensuring the accuracy of controlled drug records. Conducts regularly scheduled inventories and interacts with controlled substance inspection officials. Ensures the pharmacy as well as all delivery transactions for controlled substances are in accordance with applicable controlled substance security regulations. Prepares intravenous fluids(IV) admixtures including TPN/PPN, piggybacks, and other sterile products following proper aseptic technique within laminar IV hoods or biological safety cabinets. Prepares IV admixtures in accordance with USP797 principles and other pertinent pharmacy policy and procedures following proper gloving and gowning. Assists with quality checks as required by the USP797 guidelines including hood culturing, product sampling and testing for bacterial growth, and air quality sampling. Follows special personal safety precautions for the preparation of cancer chemotherapy admixtures, including the ability to handle accidental chemotherapy spills. Delivers prepared IV medications to the appropriate ward or other location after check by the pharmacist. Follows VA regulations to ensure safe workforce practices are followed while working within the pharmacy. Follows appropriate procedures for personal safety while making IV admixtures as well as for disposing of hazardous pharmaceuticals Completes all mandatory VA training programs, position specific skill training, and assists with the training of other technical personnel such as new employees or pharmacy technician trainees. Participates in other quality assurance projects or activities as assigned by supervisor. Work Schedule: Variable day time shifts and weekend rotation Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 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 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. For all grade levels and positions that accept both education and experience to qualify, equivalent combinations of qualifying education and experience that total at least 100% are qualifying. The combined percentage is determined by adding total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level to the education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. Certification. For positions up to the full performance level no national certification required. Grandfathering Provision. Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. Physical Requirements. Required to undergo and pass a pre-employment physical. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for appointment, the following criteria will be used to determine your qualifications. Creditable Experience. To be creditable, a candidate must possess the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice. The candidate's experience must be evidenced by active professional practice. (Active professional practice means paid/nonpaid employment as a professional pharmacy technician.) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of half-time work. Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy technician experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy Technician, GS-06 Education or Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice. Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation. Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment. Knowledge of basic inventory procedures. Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel. Preferred Experience: Inpatient Pharmacy Technician experience required References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/159, PART II APPENDIX G28, November 07, 2023 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6.

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 Northern California Health Care System 10535 Hospital Way Mather, CA 95655 US
• Name: Marisella Souza
• Phone: 925-356-4088
• Email: [email protected]