This position is located within the Outpatient Pharmacy of the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, WA. This position is above the full performance level for Pharmacy Technicians and requires National Certification by either PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, CPhT) OR NHA (National Health career Association, ExCPT).

Duties

This position provides support to all pharmacy operations in a variety of settings. This includes patient care activities in the main outpatient dispensing pharmacy or other area as assigned by the supervisor. The position includes independent judgement and team assignments as they relate to pharmacy services and the care of the Veteran. The medical center offers a wide range of outpatient medical care services; these services include but are not limited to Primary Care, Specialty Care, Women's Health Clinic, Mental Health, Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (RRTP) and Employee Health. The outpatient pharmacy distributes acute and chronic medications or other direct patient care services unique to the VA health care model to surrounding area CBOC and PTOC clinics. Triages all Pharmacy communication with internal and external customers by phone, email, Microsoft Teams messaging, and message pool messages in the chart; refers all questions requiring clinical judgement to the pharmacist. Completes all chart messages within the Technician scope. Processes incoming faxed prescription by naming and confirming Community Care authorization of care to include expiration date of service. Processes Community Care prescriptions by confirming a valid Community Care authorization exists. Sends notice letters to the writing provider and the patient when no valid authorization is available. Sends notice letter to prescriber and patient when a prior authorized drug request (PADR) has been denied. Downloads USPS & UPS tracking to the Pharmacy drive daily for future tracking capability by pharmacy & call center staff. Assists patients requesting refills and prescription renewals by alerting provider team when the prescription is out of refills or is expired and requires renewal. Provides patient education on Pharmacy topics such as the refill and renewal process and prescription tracking information; relays clinical judgement questions to the pharmacist. Provides patient with Rx tracking information from USPS and UPS, when requested. Processes pharmacy returned mail by contacting patient and confirming or updating patients mailing address in the appropriate electronic system. Forwards patient prescriptions to a pharmacist for cancel fill action in patients profile when appropriate. Designated workstations will be kept clean, stocked and organized. May be required to travel to CBOC/PTOC clinic locations for Omnicell restocking and medication outdate checks, as needed. Assists in training for lower graded technicians. Performs all duties of lower graded technician functions, as needed. Provide coverage to next higher-grade technician, as needed for short staffing situations. Not to exceed more than 25% of employee workload. 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 Work Schedule: 8AM - 4:30PM, Monday - Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of existing pay, higher or unique qualifications, or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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 #: 00000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. 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: Pharmacy Technician, GS-07 Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower 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: (1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR, (2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work. (b) Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent. (c) Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers. (d) Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students. (e) Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution. (f) Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases. Preferred Experience: Highly proficient in typing prescriptions, highly proficient in Cerner applications, and highly reliable, self-motivated, able to work under pressure and meet deadlines. References: VA Handbook 5005/159, Part II, Appendix G28, November 7, 2023. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: Light lifting and carrying (under 15 lbs.), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking, standing, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing (aid may be permitted).

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 Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: Michelle Rootes
• Phone: (907)257-3713
• Email: [email protected]