The clinical pharmacy technician is a certified pharmacy technician with the ability to support the clinical programs at the Columbia VA Healthcare System. The incumbent will provide administrative, clerical, and clinical support which serves in the inpatient, outpatient, and specialty clinics.

Duties

Total Rewards: 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 All duties of the Clinical Pharmacy Technician will be performed under the direct supervision of the assigned CPP/CP. All clinical decision making will first be reviewed by the CPP/CP. All assigned clinical activities and function shall be completed in accordance with approved clinical pharmacy protocols or procedures: Assigned activities include but not limited to: A. Anticoagulation Clinic Support: 1. Performs medication reconciliation to include reviewing medication history, changes (including herbals, dietary supplements, and over-the-counter medications), adherence, and complications of therapy and report findings to CPP/CP. 2. Obtains and assess information on compliance, medication dosages, medication changes, alcohol consumption, smoking, bleeding symptoms, dietary habits, and general state of health. The information obtained will then be communicated to the CPS/CP. 3. Assess patient compliance and attains renewals for Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs). 4. Routinely monitors laboratory data as appropriate (to include, but not limited to CBC, UA, Creatinine, INR, A1C, CMP, FLP) and assist with scheduling future lab orders and follow up appointments. 5. Prints daily schedules and "no shows/lost to follow up" reports. Review both reports and patients' electronic health record (EHR) to identify which patients have and have not been followed up within the last 60 days. 6. Telephone support involves appointment reminders, rescheduling patients who have missed appointments, phone interviews of patients who have obtained INRs from outside labs, and triaging incoming phone calls from patients, their family members or other health providers. 7. Completes electronic progress notes, reviews all encounters daily, and notify CPP for completion. B. Medication Management: 1. Interviews patients, family members and/or caregivers, to develop an accurate list of medications, drug strengths, dosages, routes, and instructions the patient has been taking. 2. Obtains relevant patient information from patient interviews, assisted living facilities (ALF's), and nursing homes using joint legacy viewer (JLV) with our department of defense (DOD) partners. 3. Compares the compiled list with the active medication profile in the computerized medical record of the patient. 4. Documents the compiled list in the electronic health record, noting any discrepancies or omissions within 24 hours of patient encounter. 5. Updates and clarifies allergy information in patient's records in an electronic health record (EHR) 6. Improves medication safety by collecting up-to-date and prior-to admission medication lists for patients admitted to the hospital. C. Hospital Discharges: 1. Assists with reviewing the provider discharge medication reconciliation note and notifies the pharmacist of discrepancies that need to be addressed with the provider. 2. Prepares Pharmacy Home Medication List after discharge medications have been processed by the Pharmacist and makes an addendum to the Provider's note stating the medication changes that occurred at the time of discharge. 3. Prepares discharge medications for 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. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. May be required to work weekends and holidays during periods of staffing shortages if needed. Tour of duty is subject to change based on agency's need. 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: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55862F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

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. Education or Experience. (1) None required. (2) 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: (1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR (2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). 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: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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. e. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. f. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. g. 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-08. (1) Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and demonstrate the KSAs below. (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: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) 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.) (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. Preferred Experience: One year of experience working as a certified pharmacy technician in an Inpatient or Outpatient Pharmacy setting. Experience providing clinical pharmacy support for anticoagulation, medication reconciliation, and formulary management. Experience providing written and verbal patient education and working with multidisciplinary teams. Reference: 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-08. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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 Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: Chanque Mason
• Phone: 919-316-0969
• Email: [email protected]