Duties

Summary

The Salem VA Medical Center Pharmacy processes and delivers over 600 prescriptions per day to support the inpatient and clinic functions of the medical center. The Salem VAMC needs an experienced Inpatient Pharmacy Technician to work independently and under direction of a Pharmacist to provide inpatient pharmacy services to our Veterans, and prepare all the inpatient medications needed for patients each day and delivers to the respective floors.
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Responsibilities

Major duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Serves as a direct assistant to the pharmacist, requiring performance of duties with an understanding of the workflow, the pharmacy routine, and the responsibilities of the pharmacy programs. Demonstrates the ability to carry out the instructions as given by a pharmacist. As deemed necessary by the pharmacy supervisor, assists in other patient care areas to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services. However, primary assignments of work schedule and tours would involve inpatient pharmacy services. Inpatient services may include such areas as aseptic admixture preparation including cytoxic agents, automatic and Omnicell stock replenishment, maintenance and operation of automated prepackaging storage and dispensing equipment, and properly packaging with documentation of single unit of use medications.
• Knowledgeable on pharmacy policy and Medical Center Memorandums and must be able to follow them,
• Knowledgeable on pharmacy production reports and how to interpret them for comparison to individual production,
• Receives and reviews pharmacy dispensing orders for accuracy of information, duplication, and authorization for dispensing in order to process,
• Functions as first-line telephone contact for nursing units, nurses, and providers. Addresses telephone requests in a timely and courteous fashion.
• Prepackages medication in unit of use or unit dose packaging utilizing automatic equipment in an efficient and timely manner; properly labels, pre-packs and completes quality control records.
• Provides technical support for the unit dose medication program,
• Performs all bar-coding functions necessary to support the BCMA program without secondary pharmacist check,
• Prepares inpatient drug orders including all medicinal dosage forms such as chemotherapy, intravenous admixtures, oral solids, etc., according to established procedures and protocols,
• Has thorough understanding of code box and WVEMS box refill procedures. Inventories and replenishes code boxes and WVEMS boxes,
• Coordinates and assists students, volunteers, and other staff members in various areas of job related duties and responsibilities,
• Has thorough knowledge of the operation and basic daily maintenance and trouble shooting of all automated equipment in the inpatient pharmacy,
• Fills ward/Omnicell orders for a variety of drugs including tablets, capsules, liquids, injections, etc. for wards and clinics without secondary review,
• Fills unit cart-fill from the automated dispensing machine in an efficient and timely manner,
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile),
• Answers routine inquiries from providers and nurses regarding drug distribution, availability of specific drugs or supplies in the pharmacy, i.e., drugs in stock, drugs on order, dosage forms, etc.

Work Schedule: Various tours including days, nights, evenings, weekends on rotating basis.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Preferred Experience: Preferred 3+ years inpatient pharmacy technician experience
Specialized Experience: Experience in hospital automation 3+ years

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/28/2020.

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. A high school diploma or equivalent; or at least 3 months experience.
• Certification. Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).

Preferred Experience: Preferred 3+ years' Inpatient Pharmacy Technician experience; including hospital automation; preferred 3+ years' compounding non-sterile and sterile product.

Grade Determinations:
Certification: PTCB certification is required at the GS-06 grade level.
Experience: One year experience at the next lower level GS-05, and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. Ability to operate and care for automated dispensing devices and equipment; Knowledge of, and ability to perform, aseptic technique; Knowledge of basic inventory procedures; and, Knowledge of pharmacy information systems. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs:

• Ability to solve problems and make recommendations, e.g., troubleshoot operational problems and refer for appropriate action.
• Knowledge of the operation and care of automated equipment.
• Knowledge of, and ability to follow, written instructions for compounding with aseptic technique for hazardous materials such as oncology agents.
• Knowledge, and ability to perform, compounding with aseptic technique for routine sterile products.
• Knowledge of policies and procedures for inventory management in specialized areas such as emergency carts.
• Knowledge of the computerized prescription process demonstrated by the ability to input prescriptions and medication orders.

References: VA Handbook 5005/15, Part II, Appendix G28. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you are required to provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• PTCB Certificate
• vha-10-2850c
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Resume Reminder: Your resume must include the following for each job listed:
1) Job title and grade level/salary. In order to show that you meet time-in-grade, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them;
2) Duties (you must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience);
3) Month and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/2007 to 04/2008);
4) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week);
5) Supervisor's contact information and whether or not the supervisor can be contacted.
6) Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search .

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• PTCB Certificate
• vha-10-2850c
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .