GS-9 Clinical Pharmacy Technician The primary functions of the Clinical Pharmacy Technician include obtaining, performing, and monitoring laboratory values according to established procedures, electronic health record (EHR) reviews, telephone logistical support, scheduling, entering progress notes (with oversight of a CPP (Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner)), supplemental patient education communication, and other miscellaneous tasks.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Technician Activities 1) The Clinical Pharmacy Technician shall provide support for clinical operations of clinical pharmacy clinics including the Anticoagulation Clinic, as well as other clinical programs and their clinical pharmacists. All duties of the Clinical Pharmacy Technician will be performed under the direct supervision of the assigned Clinical Pharmacist. All clinical decision-making will first be reviewed and directed by the CPP. All assigned clinical activities and functions shall be completed in accordance with approved clinical pharmacy protocols or procedures. 2) Functions at a higher independent level than lower grade technicians more than 25% of the time. Will assist CPP triage and assess patients according to clinic protocols, making minor adjustments as reviewed with CPP. Clinical Technician may oversee the lower-grade technical staff to ensure workload is being done in a timely and efficient manner. This also includes teaching, training, and oversite of pharmacy students/interns and new employees as well. Clinical Activities 1) Clinical Assessment a) Obtains and reviews information on compliance, current anticoagulation medication dosages, medication changes, alcohol consumption, smoking, bleeding symptoms and general state of health. b) The Clinical Technician will review assigned medications against established protocols and follow procedures as outlined under the oversite of the CPP. c) Reviews medication history, changes (including herbals, dietary supplements/over the counter (OTC) medications), adherence, and complications of therapy and report findings to Clinical Pharmacist. d) Assesses patient compliance and attains renewals for anticoagulation and other medications as appropriate. e) Routinely monitors laboratory data and refers patients to CPP for evaluation according to clinic protocol. f) Assists with scheduling future lab orders and follow-up appointments. 2) Technical duties include completing electronic progress notes, scheduling appointments, administratively completing consults, and documenting data in the Pharmacy record or the patient EHR. 3) Communicates to the CPP changes in medications or complications, assisting in the prevention of other drug-related problems, when appropriate. 4) Telephone support involves rescheduling patients who have missed appointments, phone interviews of patients who have obtained labs from outside labs, and triaging incoming phone calls from patients, their family members or other health providers. 5) Extensive working knowledge of anticoagulation clinic process, anticoagulation medications, safety rules and regulations, and monitoring parameters as required. 6) Contributes to clinic flow management by running reports, contacting Veterans and/or family members, reviewing/obtaining records and communicating issues to assist in providing effective clinical care. 7) Perform medication histories and reconciliation. a) Interviews patients, family members and/or caregivers, to develop an accurate list of medications, drug strengths, dosages, routes, and instructions the patient has been taking. b) Obtains relevant patient information from patient interviews, assisted living facilities (ALF's), and nursing homes using joint legacy viewer (JLV) with our department of defense (DOD) partners. c) Compares the compiled list with the active medication profile in the computerized medical record of the patient. d) Documents the compiled list in the EHR, noting any discrepancies or omissions within 24 hours of patient encounter. e) Updates and clarifies allergy information in patient's EHR. f) Improves medication safety by collecting up-to-date and prior-to admission medication lists for patients admitted to the hospital. 8) Navigates dashboards and reviews assigned data for action according to established procedures. Administrative Tasks 1) Incumbent schedules outpatient clinic appointment using the appropriate scheduling package. Uses established business rules to schedule appointments for veterans. This includes clinic visits, consultations, and entries into the scheduling package. Complies with mandatory training requirements for the outpatient scheduling process. 2) Enter orders for lab tests (signature by CPP required). 3) Schedule clinic and lab appointments and enter in appropriate computer package. 4) Prioritize operational and assigned clinical functions to provide the highest quality of patient care. 5) Collects data for quality assurance and management and helps prepare charts, graphs, and data review for submission to hospital committees, such as P&T as assigned by supervisor. Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 730-415 Telework: If approved, will be on an ad-hoc basis Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

All requirements must be met by the close date of this announcement. 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 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). 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: GS-9 Pharmacy Technician Experience: One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade level, GS-8. AND Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: PTCB as a CPhT. OR NHA as a ExCPT. AND Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards), controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.). (b) Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports. (c) Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area. (d) Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists®, controlled substance inspections). (e) Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/159 PART II APPENDIX G28 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. 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. 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: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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.

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 VA Black Hills Health Care System 113 Comanche Road Fort Meade, SD 57741 US
• Name: Adam Abbott
• Phone: 612-629-7067
• Email: [email protected]