Duties

Summary

The Pharmacy Technician in this assignment performs varied technical duties in the Inpatient and/or Outpatient Pharmacy under the direction of a supervisory/lead pharmacy technician or licensed pharmacist. The employee arranges the timing and sequence of assigned task to meet variable workload demands. All work on prescription/medication orders and intravenous solutions is checked by a licensed pharmacist; other work is reviewed for overall accuracy of results.
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Responsibilities

Major Duties of GS6 Pharmacy Technician include but are not limited to:
- Filling inpatient & outpatient (prescriptions) medication orders (non-controlled and controlled substances) or preparing IV admixtures (piggybacks, large volume parenterals, and chemotherapy) utilizing appropriate precautions and aseptic techniques in a timely manner for final check by a pharmacist
- Using computer systems and software to maintain reports and produce records
- Maintaining appropriate stock levels of medications in pharmacy areas and institution automated medication dispensing cabinets
- Maintaining proper records of medications and supplies issued to provide data for reports as needed (i.e. changing use patterns)
- Filling, replenishing, packaging, and/or exchanging medications in unit dose carts, emergency crash carts, medication storage areas, and automated dispensing cabinets
- Checking medication expiration dates in unit dose carts, emergency crash carts, medication storage areas, and automated dispensing cabinets and document as indicated
- Accepting pharmaceutical deliveries validating quantities ordered on invoice versus quantities received along with other information notifying procurement technician or appropriate supervisor of any discrepancies.
- Notifying Supervisor or other designated person of actual or anticipated shortages of medications and supplies
- Answering telephone calls responding to inquiries and triaging as appropriate
- Assisting in maintaining the orderliness and cleanliness of the Pharmacy
- Drug recall
-CACHE activities
- Performing other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Primary shift is Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm with weekends and holidays on a rotating basis. Final schedule to be determined by management.

Pharmacy technicians are essential employees and follow VA Maryland Health Care System guidance, rules, policies, directives, and/or other notifications for essential employees during emergency and/or inclement weather.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

25% or less - May include 25% or less travel to other VAMHCS sites.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
6

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

BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
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) is required at grades GS-6 and above.
Loss of Credential. An employee in this occupation who fails to obtain licensure/certification/
registration within the required time frame, or who fails to maintain the required licensure/certification/
registration must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment.
For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) at all grade levels, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation for which he/she qualifies if a placement opportunity exists. For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) in assignments above the full-performance level only, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may remain at an appropriate lower grade level in the occupation when both of the following apply: the credential is not a requirement and a placement opportunity exists."
Grandfathering Provision. The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all Title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Some of these provisions may not apply to this occupation. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/ registration requirements that apply to this occupation.
English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy technicians appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS

(1) Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice.
(2) Quality of Experience. To be creditable, pharmacy technician experience must be documented on the application and verified in an employment reference, or through other independent means.
(3) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a pharmacy technician is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacy technician would receive 1 week of full-time credit for each 2 weeks of half-time work.
(4) Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

GS-6
(a) Experience. One year experience at the next lower level, and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*):
(b) Certification. Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is required at grades GS-6 and above.
(c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
1. Ability to solve problems and make recommendations, e.g., troubleshoot operational problems and refer for appropriate action.
2. Knowledge of the operation and care of automated equipment.
3. Knowledge of, and ability to follow, written instructions for compounding with aseptic technique for hazardous materials such as oncology agents.
4. Knowledge, and ability to perform, compounding with aseptic technique for routine sterile products.
5. Knowledge of policies and procedures for inventory management in specialized areas such as emergency carts.
6. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process demonstrated by the ability to input prescriptions and medication orders.

(d) Assignments. Pharmacy technicians may be assigned to any area of the pharmacy including expanded distributive function assignments; for example assignment as team leaders for specific process improvement teams involving technical areas or performing more highly complex duties including preparation of oncology agents for clinical pharmacy specialists. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.

Preferred Experience: 2 or more years of experience in both the retail (outpatient) and hospital (inpatient) pharmacy.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/15 PART II APPENDIX G28

Physical Requirements:
Physical demands of the position require regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 40 pounds, pushing and pulling of large carts. The job may include significant time at a computer terminal.

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

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.

RESUME REMINDER- Your resume must include the following information each job listed: Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week.

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 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.

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
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Copy of Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
• VA 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations Form
• Resume

VA FORM 10-2850c- This form is REQUIRED with your application. Please note you will be disqualified if this form is not submitted with your application package.

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Copy of Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
• VA 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations Form
• 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 .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.