Job opening: Pharmacy Technician - Controlled Substances
Salary: $60 492 - 85 513 per year
Published at: Aug 27 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
The Primary Purpose of the Position is: To provide pharmacy services to all veterans receiving care in inpatient and outpatient settings, and directly support the Controlled Substances Pharmacy Program at the VA North Texas Health Care System.
The Organizational Location of the Position is: Controlled Substances Section under the Office of the Associate Chief, Pharmacy Operations (Outpatient); Pharmacy Service, VA North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS), Dallas, Bonham, Fort Worth.
Duties
Duties include but not limited to:
Controlled Substances Management:
Prepares, fills, and dispenses controlled substances based on policies/procedures.
Conducts regularly scheduled inventories, maintains a perpetual inventory, and assists Controlled Substance Compliance Inspectors with monthly inspections, according to regulations and policies.
Assists, reviews, and makes recommendation on inventory control of controlled substances.
Monitors, analyzes orders, and usage/distribution patterns for questionable circumstances or unusual trends. Communicates potential problems to pharmacy leadership by close of business.
Pharmaceutical Care:
Accurately interprets, fills, and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and/or medical supplies for pharmacist verification of outpatient prescription orders, inpatient orders, and clinic orders as required per policy.
Dispense medications to patients and/or other healthcare professionals post final verification by a pharmacist as required per policy.
Respond to questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel about drug distribution.
Provide patient education on topics like the refill process and relay questions outside of technician scope to the pharmacist.
Prescription Fulfillment:
Assembles prescriptions properly with the correct drug, strength, quantity, auxiliary labels, and prescription labels for window dispensing and mail delivery post pharmacist verification.
Follows procedures for filling medications and assures that the correct medication is filled by using bar code scanning on stock bottles.
Supports automation by manually filling prescriptions not processed through the automation dispensing machine.
Administrative and Education/Training:
Maintain a clean and organized work environment, ensuring that all items are stored in their designated places.
Assists in training and orientation of new staff technicians, interns, and students. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program.
Exhibit adaptability in varied circumstances to enhance group productivity. 4. Perform duties of various technician levels, assisting as needed.
Work Schedule: To be discussed with candidate and will match current position tour as assigned by the service.
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 51419
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Qualifications
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 - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
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).
National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
Physical Requirements. See physical requirements listed below.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician, GS-08
In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, to qualify for the GS-08 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) and demonstrate 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:
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs in their resume:
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.
Reference: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G28 Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standard, GS-0661, dated November 7, 2023. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08.
Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15 - 44 lbs); Moderate Carrying (15 - 44 lbs); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (up to 2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (up to 6 hours); Standing (up to 6 hours); Repeated bending (up to 2 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; Hearing (aid permitted).
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
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 Dallas VA Medical Center
4500 South Lancaster Road
Dallas, TX 75216
US
- Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
- Email: [email protected]