This position functions primarily in Pharmacy Service and the outpatient care areas within the Northern California Health Care System.

Duties

Pharmacy Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Pharmacy-Technician-Career-Flyer.pdf The duties related to this position include but are not limited to the following: Outpatient Functions a) Reads and interprets prescriptions, 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 or discharge situations. b) Possesses proficient clerical skills required for automatic data processing (ADP), prescription information entry, collating prescriptions or refill documents with ADP labels generated, record storage and retrieval. Procurement Functions a) Assist with inventory management. b) Maintains accountability of daily purchases and coordinates receipt, controls budget ledger, assures consistent delivery schedules are employed and handled in a manner mutually beneficial to Logistics and Pharmacy Service, and appropriately disperses stock into designated storage areas. c) Keeps current on contracts, product availability, and prices to identify appropriate sources and ensures most cost-effective products are purchased through the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS). d) Reviews FDA Reports, Recall Alerts and Notifications to determine if any medications or pharmacy-stocked supplies are in use that require removal. Assists in the drug recall process by informing appropriate personnel, checking for applicable lots, sequestering recalled product as required and returning drugs for replacement and/or credit according to specifications of each recall announcement. Records of recall actions will be maintained. e) Assists pharmacists in determining high priority or emergency requirements and initiates procurement activity to local wholesale sources. f) Responds promptly to stock outages by making local purchases, arranging for inter pharmacy transfer of products or prescription labels, use of pharmacist intervention, suggestions for product substitution, and borrowing to ensure that patient care needs are met. g) Ensures that incoming stock orders are checked for accuracy, that quantity received corresponds to quantity ordered, and that incoming orders are immediately signed for. h) Ensures that incoming stock orders are removed from cardboard boxes and are identified as having scannable bar codes for inventory, dispensing, and administration purposes. i) Performs related duties such as rotating stock when new orders arrive to minimize waste due to expiration and assisting in maintaining the orderliness and cleanliness of the Pharmacy. j) Sequesters and processes outdated, unusable, and excess inventory for return to respective manufacturers or reverse distributor for replacement of usable formulary items or credit at least quarterly. k) Maintains a training/education manual for the focus area assigned. Provides training to new or existing staff so that these competencies are maintained. l) Operates and maintains complex pharmacy dispensing equipment and perpetual inventory systems. m) Conducts monthly ward inspections of outpatient primary care areas. n) Assists patients with telephone care pharmacy applications including patient orientation to the application. o) Assists with narcotic vault inspections and the processing of controlled substance returns and destructions. p) Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in Medical Center and Service process assessment and action teams and continually seeks to improve services. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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 A. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. B. English Proficiency: Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). C. Certification Requirement: 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). D. Grandfathering Provision: 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. E. Grade Determination: In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must meet the following grade requirements. Pharmacy Technician, GS-08. Experience Requirement. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level of GS-7. 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. Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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.) 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. F. Preferred Experience: Minimum two (2) years of experience G. References: : VA HANDBOOK 5005/159, PART II APPENDIX G28, Dated November 07, 2023 H. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-8.

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: Frances Medina
• Phone: 000-000-0000
• Email: [email protected]