The incumbent will perform duties that require a certain degree of specialized knowledge and skills in pharmaceutical work and an extensive knowledge of the routine procedures of the Inpatient or Pharmacy. This position can be filled at our Inpatient Pharmacy or Pharmacy.

Duties

Responsible on a daily basis for filling and delivering the unit dose medication carts to the assigned wards and the Community Living Care units. Reviews, separate & returns dose medications as appropriate to the proper bins at the medication picking stations. Performs final verification of cart fill unit dose orders (tech-check-tech) at the discretion & direction of the Lead Inpatient Pharmacy Technician Operates all automated unit dose packing equipment. Must be able to perform minor repairs on the system when needed & perform daily cleaning & maintenance. Required to generate pick list through Vista for medication orders for the hospital wards & units. Knowledgeable with the BCMA concept and understand its application within the scope of duties. Must be able to print BCMA labels and properly & accurately affix them to appropriate products received by the Inpatient Pharmacy where manufacturers' barcodes are unavailable or inadequate. Assembles & calculates dosages or sterile compounded medications, able to reconstitute & add the appropriate diluents or stock solutions & clean the laminar flow hoods. Prepares piggybacks, large volumes, TPNs and chemotherapy after completion of required training in accordance with USP 795, USP 797, USP 800 and review of employee safety measures. Must strictly adhere to aseptic technique in processing all compounded sterile product orders. Delivers & appropriately stores IVs on the proper wards & units. Responsible for replenishing medication in crash carts and other emergency use kits using current medical center protocol. Will record all pertinent information on the appropriate inventory sheet. Able to compile a restock sheet from ADC-generated reports to assimilate stock items for daily restocking of nursing units, fills orders received from clinics/CBOCs & delivers the supplies to hospital areas. Records the quantity of dispensed stock into Automatic Replenishment in VistA for each unit/clinic/CBOC & can generate usage reports if necessary. Perform & complete assigned monthly ward inspections and automated dispensing cabinet inspections, checking for outdated drugs, IV solutions, multi-dose vial usage and any items pertaining to pharmacy. Responsible for performing & completing internal inspections for outdated drugs in the Inpatient Pharmacy as assigned. Shares responsibility for maintaining adequate drug stock, efficient material management, maintenance of records, inventory control, and storage of pharmaceuticals. Appropriate adds and removes inventory from automated equipment and software. Conducts daily inventory, resolving discrepancies as necessary. Interacts with inspectors, assisting with the inventory, review of invoices and VISTA reports. Receives oral instructions from the supervisor relative to time allotted for completion of work and possible problems. Incumbent is responsible for arranging the sequence and timing of their own work to meet variable demands in a particular area. Work Schedule: Midnight Pharmacy Technician. 7 on 7 off. The technician works 7 days on and then has 7 days off, working four 11-hour shifts and three 12-hour shifts. There is overlap with the evening technician and the next day shift technicians. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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. 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. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. 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). 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). 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 and meet the criteria). 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-03. Education and Experience. (a) One year of post-secondary education. OR (b) Six months of general experience. OR (c) Student Technician. A student enrolled in an approved nationally accredited pharmacy technician program for an occupation identified in 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(A) or (B) may be appointed on a temporary full-time, part-time or intermittent basis under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(D) for a period not to exceed two years or the duration of the individual's program. Pharmacy Technician, GS-04. Education and Experience. Completion of two years of post-secondary coursework related to pharmacy (e.g., 12 semester hours of science and mathematics courses). OR Completion of one of the following: Six months of experience, that demonstrated knowledge of medication or medical field practice. OR Successful completion of a military or nationally recognized pharmacy technician education/training program. American Society of Health System Pharmacists® (ASHP), American Pharmacist Association (APHA), Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), PTCB or NHA are examples of acceptable professional organizations recognizing such training programs. NOTE: Training courses recognized by PTCB and NHA are not actual certifications. OR One year of experience equivalent to next lower grade level. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the education or experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Ability to follow policies and procedures. (b) Ability to maintain appropriate files. (c) Ability to communicate with patients and other health professionals. (d) Ability to follow both written and verbal instructions. (e) Ability to operate office software/equipment to include, computers, software applications and printers Pharmacy Technician, GS-05. Education or Experience. Successful completion of four years post-secondary education with courses related to pharmacy (e.g., 48 semester hours of science, mathematics, pharmacy) or a bachelor's degree. OR An associate's degree in pharmacy technician or technology (48 semester hours of concentrated pharmacy technician training). OR One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the education or experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations. (b) Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas. (c) Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic, chemical and proprietary names of drug). (d) Ability to fill prescriptions. (e) Ability to use pharmacy information systems or basic pharmacy dispensing equipment with oversight. 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: (a) Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice. (b) Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation. (c) Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment. (d) Knowledge of basic inventory procedures. (e) Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel. Assignments. Pharmacy technicians at the full performance level may fill orders, dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs. Duties will include delivery of medications to floors/patients, filling medications for the pharmacist to review, checking for expired medications, answering phones with appropriate disposition, preparing sterile products (when applicable) and assisting with basic inventory management such as putting up stock and identifying when medications need to be ordered. References: VAH 5005/159 Part II Appendix G28 Dated November 7, 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-3 through GS-6. Physical Requirements: The work requires standing, walking, bending, sitting, and lifting moderately heavy packages.

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 Martinsburg VA Medical Center 510 Butler Avenue Martinsburg, WV 25405 US
• Name: Javay Holmes
• Phone: (202) 531-6350
• Email: [email protected]