This position is located in the Procurement Section, Pharmacy Service, El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System (ELPVAHCS). The primary duties of this position consist of inventory management, which consists of purchasing, receiving, stocking, restocking medical rooms, coordinating redistribution and destruction of medications and medical supplies.

Duties

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Pharmacy Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Pharmacy-Technician-Career-Flyer.pdf Functions/Duties Include: Inventories and orders medications necessary for daily prescription filling through the outpatient pharmacy, controlled substances and other products as required for Pharmacy Service. Contains comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process. Initiates procurement requests for all drugs, medical and surgical supplies and other specialized medical devices handled by pharmacy, which are either stocked or special ordered. After prescription/order(s) are reviewed by a pharmacist for therapeutic propriety, reviews orders for technical accuracy and converts the order, if necessary, so that the item dispensed corresponds to the drug and dose ordered. Controls costs by monitoring and maintaining inventory levels and purchasing lowest cost appropriate items from wholesaler. Places orders using VA credit card, reconciles charges within IFCAP and US Bank, and maintains all purchase card records. Places orders via Contracting through a Contract, VA Form 2237. Communicates directly with the manufacturer, pharmaceutical representatives, or both in maintaining sufficient supplies to meet the needs of the Medical Center for medications that are in short supply, either on a regional or national basis, and uses this information to coordinate patient care activities with drug availability and delivery schedules in coordination with the pharmacy supervisors. Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Assures that items procured are paid for in a timely and appropriate manner. May coordinate or assist with and is recognized as the expert in identifying and ordering medical supplies. Checks the order against the Bill of Lading and invoice or packing slip for accuracy. Enters prime vendor orders into the VISTA drug accountability package. Maintains adequate stock levels for an acceptable turnover rate to promote efficient management of funds. Determines, establishes, and modifies, as necessary, appropriate ordering intervals, inventory levels, most efficient and effective ordering quantities, sources of supply, etc. Maintains the integrity of the stock by checking for expiration dates and drug recalls. Gathers stock and fills ward stock requests or maintains automated dispensing units (Omnicell) without secondary review utilizing proper quality control procedures and assures that the dispensed items are entered into the computer system. Notifies supervisor and staff of changes of products, or product appearance. Makes provisions to borrow items from WBAMC on an emergency basis and ensures their safe transport to the medical center. Has oversight of ELPHCS Cache and works with the cache pharmacist in organizing the rotation of stock provided by Emergency Pharmacy Service (EPS) and coordinating the proper retrieval of expired goods for maximal cost avoidance. Applies knowledge of the budget process as it relates to Pharmacy and Fiscal processes involved in transferring funds to and from control points while opening and closing annual and quarterly fiscal accounting for Pharmacy Service. Assists in the training of pharmacy students, pharmacy interns and other personnel in departmental functions according to policy and procedure. Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes. Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessments and action teams and continually seeks to improve services. Performs all the duties of a lower graded technician, if required. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:45pm 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: 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/26/2024 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). 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: Pharmacy Technician, GS-08: Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and demonstrate the KSAs below. 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. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs for all GS-08 assignments and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: 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. Assignment: 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. Preferred Experience: One to years of experience working as procurement technician managing inventory, purchasing, receiving, stocking, and coordinating medication redistribution and destruction. One to two years of experience writing standard operating procedures in outpatient or inpatient pharmacy setting. Experience communicating directly with the manufactures, pharmaceutical representatives to maintain sufficient supplies to meet the needs of the patient. Experience with formulary process, utilizing prime vendor proficiently to assure ordering from Federal Supply Service items first whenever possible. Experience in working with ostomy supplies and working with various teams or services for the common good of the patient. References: VA Handbook 5005/159, Part II, Appendix G28 dated November 7, 2023 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

Contacts

• Address El Paso VA Clinic 5001 North Piedras Street El Paso, TX 79930 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]