This position is for a certified pharmacy technician above the full performance level GS-8 at the Iron Mountain VA Healthcare System. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level are nationally certified by PTCB or ExCPT and can work autonomously, using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties. Pharmacy technicians above the full performance level can mentor and train lower grade technicians in the practice setting.

Duties

The employee will assist the pharmacist in providing optimal care and timely service in accordance with the mission, vision, and goals of the Iron Mountain VA Healthcare System and Pharmacy. The incumbent is responsible for the receiving, assessing for appropriateness, processing, and documenting all community care prescriptions for the approval by a Clinical Pharmacist. The Pharmacy Technician assists the Community Care Clinical Pharmacist in all daily tasks concerning community care prescribed prescriptions and related tasks. Duties: Community Care Prescription Support: Receives faxed, mailed, electronically prescribed, or delivered prescriptions written by non-VA providers and processes all received prescriptions to include assessment of appropriateness and eligibility, prioritizing urgent prescriptions first. Utilizes electronic health record, or other related sites to determine authorization and eligibility of Non-VA Care by the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center. Community Care Telephone Triage: Assists the Community Care Clinical Pharmacist with inbound and outbound phone calls relating to community care that do not require a pharmacists' knowledge. Utilizes pharmacy information systems to answer patient or provider questions related to status of their prescription(s), completion date, package tracking, etc. Monitors community care pharmacy voicemail regularly throughout shift and addresses messages promptly. Transfers calls or messages to the Community Care Clinical Pharmacist as appropriate. Documents phone conversations in electronic health record for future reference if appropriate. General Outpatient Pharmacy Support: Performs technical support work in the pharmacy under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. Fills, packages, assembles drugs and supplies accurately for dispensing or mailing to Veterans. Assists with ordering and inventory control concerns against the risk of being out of critical drugs for maintaining an acceptable level of health care. Routinely receives medications and supplies, checks for shortages, tampering, breakages, deterioration, and expiration of drug products, and supplies in assigned section (if one is assigned). Knows drug medication brand names, generic names/chemical names, general and special storage requirements, expiration date requirements, dosage forms, applicable systems of weights and measures, medical terminology to interpret physician's orders and verify that correct drug, dosage form, strength and dose is prepared and dispensed. Understands drug usage and dosage forms available to be able to screen drug orders for propriety and assist the pharmacist in solving potential problems. Follows policies and procedures on restricted medications, restricted quantities, and cost saving initiatives and corrects dosage/quantity in the patient's medication profile to comply with these guidelines. Operates the automated dispensing system and prepares daily all extemporaneous prepackaging required to process prescriptions timely to preclude excessive waiting time. Contributes to the maintenance and operation of all equipment in the outpatient area, including ScriptPro, Eyecon, InstyMeds, United States Postal Service terminal, and the United Parcel Service terminal. Maintains all work areas in a state of cleanliness and ready for the daily workload. Understands the laws, regulations and official policy concerning drug procurement and security to conform to legal and professional requirements of pharmacy practice. Prepares all mail-out medications for mailing and meters mail according to guidelines. Has knowledge of US Postal and UPS guidelines for the correct and timely delivery of medications and determines requirements for correctly preparing and packaging medications for delivery. Controlled Substance Pharmacy Support: Functions as a backup to the controlled substance/vault technician when delegated by the Community Care Program Manager and maintains knowledge of vault operations. Conducts a full inventory and reconciliation at a minimum every 72 hours, as required, and files for ready retrieval/review. Complies with all laws, regulations, directives, policies, and procedures applying to the dispensing, storage, transfer, inventory, and accountability of controlled substances. Monitors expiration dates of all products with particular attention to compounded products with short expiration dates. Other Duties Assigned Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Telework Eligible: Yes - as determined by the agency policy. (Ad-hoc) Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the duties of this position. The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, frequent twisting/turning, and bending/stooping.

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: Must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Certification: must hold an active national certification through either: Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR National Health career Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed. 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). GS-7 Grade Determinations: (1) Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. (2) 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. (3) 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: (a) 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.) Note: See Specialized Area.in the Definitions Section. (b) Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. (c) Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy. References: VHA Handbook 5005 PART II Appendix G28

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 Oscar G Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility 325 East H Street Iron Mountain, MI 49801 US
• Name: Kevin Estrada
• Phone: 319-338-0581 X636728
• Email: [email protected]