The Pharmacy Procurement Technician is responsible for all prescription and non-prescription medications and supply purchasing and inventory. Primary duties consist of pharmaceutical and supply order initiation, proper receipt of shipments and compliance with product and storage requirements. The incumbent has independent purchase responsibilities.

Duties

Serves as ordering officer for Pharmacy Service, delegated by the VA National Acquisition Center (NAC) while maintaining annual training requirements. Ensures inventory control through perpetual evaluation. Assists in determining ordering intervals and stock levels appropriate to meet changes in the VA National Formulary, brand to AB-rated generic drugs, contract changes, conversions, new drug indications, back orders and seasonal changes. Understands proper budget utilization. Purchases using National contracts, Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and open market to ensure compliance with Federal acquisition regulations and policy, understanding the contracting hierarchy of all purchases. Downloads invoices daily as part of the drug accountability process. Understands the process for and maintains required documentation when purchasing using government-issued credit cards and reconciles receipt of all such orders in a timely manner. Possesses technical knowledge of VA and regulatory agency requirements for drug storage and special requirements for procurement, storage, distribution and handling of various hazardous and non-hazardous drug classes. Removes expired medications from stock and processes them for safe removal according to VHA Directives and standard operating procedures. Maintains a clean working environment and updates shelf labels as contracts dictate. Assists in training and orients new personnel, volunteers, students, etc. in the technical aspects of operations. Possesses technical working knowledge and follows established policies and procedures for usage rates, stock levels and inventory maintenance and assists in annual Pharmacy wall-to-wall inventory. Possesses technical knowledge of drug characteristics and nomenclature for procurement and stock maintenance, to include generic and brand names, dosage forms, systems of weights and measures, drug product codes and drug AB rating equivalence. 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. Uploads and maintains proper documentation for the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) per the FDA requirements, as assigned and required. Maintains proper documentation of all local drug and supply sharing across VA as per the DSCSA requirements, as assigned and required. Work Schedule: Administrative Days, Rotating tour- will be communicated during interview. Telework: Not Available 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 Health career Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT) Assignments. Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory). For all assignments above the 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 serve as an ordering officer delegated by the national acquisition center contracting officer for the purpose of ordering against the national pharmacy prime vendor (PPV) contract and national blanket purchase agreements (BPA) for pharmacy. They are responsible for ordering medications and supplies from required sources and meeting contract compliance while maintaining multiple complex accounts with the PPV. They utilize the Government purchase card program for direct orders up to the micro purchase threshold per VA financial policy. Pharmacy technicians at this level are responsible for regulatory and formulary requirements to meet patient needs within budgetary limits. Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory) 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. Basic knowledge of pharmacy procurement, distribution and storage requirements to maintain a safe working environment. This includes not limited to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and DEA requirements and regulations. Ability to assist in determining and modifying as necessary: ordering intervals, inventory levels and cost-effective ordering quantities from required sources based on current financial conditions in pharmacy, seasonal variations in drug usage, changing patterns in medical practice, delivery time requirements and urgency of medical need. 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]