Pharmacy Technicians are a vital component of medication distribution in the VA. Certified technicians with advanced medical & technical knowledge that function above the full performance level are highly integral to the Pharmacy Service. Pharmacy technicians at this level have a major impact on the operational aspects of the Pharmacy Service for providing timely, efficient, and accurate prescription filling and dispensing with minimal need of supervision.

Duties

Pharmacy Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Pharmacy-Technician-Career-Flyer.pdf Major Duties: Navigate & utilize VistA, CPRS, & any other patient databases necessary to perform the job. Establish patient eligibility status & provider prescriber authority & enter new providers into the system. Use medical terminology & common abbreviates to accurately interpret prescriptions. Interpret prescriptions & other orders to determine proper disposition. Perform a full administrative & technical review of the patient's medication & computer profile, to ensure the most current prescriptions are being processed, checking for remaining authorized refills, & checking for frequency. Enter correct medication, strength, dosage form, & quantity into patient's profile. Process refills for mail or window pick-up. Use knowledge of drug & medication brand names, generic names, general & special storage requirements, expiration date requirements, manufacturer sources, dosage forms, basic pharmaceutical calculations, applicable systems of weights & measures & medical terminology to interpret providers' orders & verify correct drug, dosage form, strength & dose, is distributed. Use knowledge of drug use & dosage forms to assist the pharmacist in solving potential drug related problems. Prepare prescription order by verifying the correct patient, the label, selecting the proper medication, selecting the correct strength, counting/pouring the intended quantity, packing the medication appropriately, & completing all necessary filling documentation. Communicate medication errors, adverse advents, allergies, non-formulary, restricted status & any other medication order related problems for clarification to the pharmacist &/or supervisor. Fill on-demand clinic request for hospital ward or clinic stock. Inventory & restock hospital pharmacy code blue crash carts/kits & other specialty emergency kits. Operate & maintain automated prepacking device to prepack unit dosage forms to restock ADCs. Interpret IV (ie., admixtures, piggybacks, syringes, TPNs etc.) medication order request by selecting , measuring, & mixing appropriate ingredients safely & aseptically, inspecting the final product for accuracy, labeling the product, in accordance with facility standing operating procedures (SOPs) & delivering the product after final verification by a pharmacist. Prepare all sterile compounding using aseptic technique. Maintain cleanliness of facilities non-hazardous cleanroom in accordance with the facilities cleaning SOPs. Perform compounding of approved pharmaceuticals according to the facilities SOPs. Navigate basic automation package functions. Clean, maintenance & troubleshoot automation equipment. Fill automation canisters with medications & input information necessary to allow an audit trail of medications. Comply with all laws, regulations, directives, policies & procedures for the dispensing, storage, transfer, inventory & accountability of controlled substances. Prepare & fill outpatient pharmacy orders for controlled substances. Package prescription medications for dispensation. Check postage for proper name & address. Provide patient education on pharmacy topics. Assure all medications are stored appropriately with attention to rotation of stock & complying with all laws & station policies. Remove expired medications from stock & follow facility policy & procedures for disposal. Perform ward inspections as assigned. Complete mandatory training as required by local, VISN, & national mandates within established timeframes to maintain licensure. Receives phone calls in a tactful & helpful manner to employees, volunteers, & patients. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm, 3:30pm-Midnight, or Midnight-8:00am (special tour no lunch), with possible evening/night/weekend/holiday shifts 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: As determined by the Service. 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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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: (a)PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b)NHA as a 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 GS-07 Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. GS-07 Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent. Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers. Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students. Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution. Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases. Preferred Experience: PTCB Certification/or NHA. Knowledge of generic/brand name medications. Ability to fill automation/troubleshoot dispensing equipment. Parata/Omnicell. IV Experience (compounding) at least 1 year in compounding. At least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level/ can train pharmacy technicians/students. Knowledge of control drugs. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standard Appendix G28, Dated: November 07, 2023 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds Light, Moderate carrying, 15-44 pounds, Straight pulling (3 hours), Pushing (3 hours), Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, Both hands required, Walking (8 hours), Standing (8 hours), Kneeling (1 hours), Repeated bending (1 hour), Both legs required, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Specific visual requirement (specify) DVA Correctable to 20/40, Both eyes required, Ability to distinguish basic colors, 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 Audie L Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital 7400 Merton Minter Boulevard San Antonio, TX 78229 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]