The Clinical Pharmacy Technician will assist the clinical pharmacy section in clinic duties as assigned, including patient and health care professional contact, data collection and analysis, entry of information into patient data bases, chart review and drug information. Also responsible for the filling, dispensing, procurement, storage, preparation, review, distribution, and control of medications/other pharmaceutical products to patients, inpatient and outpatient treatment units.

Duties

Clinical: Incumbent will provide Emergency Department and Inpatient clinic support through performing basic laboratory functions, appointment scheduling, faxing and mailing, preparation of teaching materials, medication reconciliation and discharge medication delivery. Inpatient and Outpatient: Incumbent will perform processing and filling of outpatient prescriptions for scheduled and non-scheduled federal legend drugs and medical devices, over-the-counter products and supply items; inpatient preparation and distribution of unit dose medications and ward stock items and intravenous admixtures including cytotoxic chemotherapy; crash cart maintenance; stock management; operation, maintenance, usage, re-stocking, and troubleshooting of automated dispensing equipment; patient and customer relations; and preparation and maintenance of various logs, records and reports. Sterile Compounding: Through use of aseptic technique, responsible for the preparation of pharmaceuticals for parenteral administration; advanced technical working knowledge of various administration routes for various parenteral pharmaceuticals and the special preparation considerations that must be taken into account in their preparation, handling, storage, distribution and disposal; advanced technical working knowledge of equipment and supplies used in the preparation of intravenous admixtures including but not limited to barrier isolators, admixing pumps, needles, syringes, various drug reservoirs, etc. Specialized knowledge regarding chemical and physical compatibilities is essential for the proper preparation of parenteral pharmaceuticals. Controlled Substances: Fills and dispenses prescriptions for controlled substances for both Inpatient and Outpatient beneficiaries. Incumbent performs controlled substances inventories as required. Procurement and Stock Maintenance: Performs duties associated with stocking of medications and supplies, to include rotation of stock, checking for and pulling of outdated/expired medications and supply items, cleaning and maintenance of stock shelves and areas. Adheres to procurement standards, regulations, and laws to include adherence to VA formulary management. Incumbent has contact and collaborates with employees, co-workers in the pharmacy, medical staff, nursing staff, and other health care providers at the facility, vendors and their support staff or representatives, patients, care givers, and the public in order to obtain information and solve problems, take or give direction, discuss work efforts, and exchange factual information about work operations and patient care. Train staff, students, and residents in assigned areas. Promote positive relations in all contacts. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 10:00am - 10:00pm, 7 days on / 7 days off Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: CLINICAL PHARMACY TECHNICIAN, GS-0661-07 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Work Environment: Work is performed in patient care, office and storage areas of the facility. Work areas are adequately heated and lighted. Potential exists for: exposure to infectious patients or materials; exposure to hazardous and toxic substances including but not limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy, solvents, grease, oils, and cleaning solutions; sticks or cuts from hypodermic needles, lancets or other sharp items; musculoskeletal injuries if proper lifting and carrying techniques are not used; unusual musculoskeletal fatigue due to prolonged standing, electronic data processing, etc.; eye strain.

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. 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). Certification: For all positions above the GS-06 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). (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 series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification.) Qualifying Grade Determinations: Candidates must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower GS-06 grade level. 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/non-paid employment as a professional pharmacy technician.) 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. Specialized Experience - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work. (b) Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent. (c) Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers. (d) Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students. (e) Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution. (f) Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases. Assignments - For all assignments above the GS-06 full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy technicians at this level are nationally certified and can work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties. These pharmacy technicians mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting. They assist advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives. At this level, pharmacy technicians use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy. They also function as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight. Preferred Experience: Performing medication reconciliation in the Emergency Department, compounding IV medications, working with automated medication dispensing cabinets (Pyxis or Omnicell.) References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G28, pub. 2023. Physical Requirements: Employees are typically expected to work forty hours per week. This may include evenings, midnights, weekends and/or holidays as assigned. Principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g., preparing IV admixtures, use of a computer keyboard, etc.). May require lifting and carrying light loads (up to 44lbs.), including boxes, equipment, unit dose-cassettes, and IV solutions; stooping or kneeling (e.g., to pick up items from the floor, remove and replace items on lower shelves, and to file documents in lower file drawers, etc.); sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours). Normal ranges of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color. An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Employees must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used on the job. Employees may be required to work at various pharmacy locations as assigned.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Fayetteville NC VA Medical Center 2300 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 US
• Name: Kathryn 'Beth' Lasasso
• Phone: (980) 401-2561
• Email: [email protected]