Pharmacy Technician Inpatient Rotational

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The incumbent is responsible for delivering excellent customer service and providing cross coverage in multiple areas. The incumbent will be responsible for having extensive knowledge on the processes and procedures of inpatient pharmacy operations and will demonstrate consistent appropriate and independent decision making while performing their assigned duties.

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES:
Primary duties of the GS8 Inpatient Rotational Pharmacy Technician include but are not limited to:

1. Maintains knowledge in United States Pharmacopeia (USP) 797/800/795 pharmacy law Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations VHA Directives facility and departmental policies and procedures as they relate to practice within the VA Healthcare System and its organizational elements. 2. Maintains competence in all operational aspects of pharmacy distribution services including sterile compounding equipment maintenance materials handling automation dispensing labeling packaging documentation controlled substance accountability and unit dose management.
3. Uses aseptic technique to compound both complicated and uncomplicated parenteral admixtures in the form of large volumes small volumes infusion syringes or sterile ophthalmic preparations and other complex sterile pharmaceuticals such as total parenteral nutrition and cardioplegia solutions.
4. Completes departmental and facility mandatory training such as TMS fit testing glove fingertip and media fill testing critical point modules and other required sterile compound didactic tests within established timetables.
5. Correctly interprets orders selects products calculates and measures appropriate ingredients mixes ingredients in an aseptic and effective manner utilizing written procedural guidelines and manufacturer information. Inspects the final product for accuracy stability and elegance. Labels the product maintains records of the manufacturing process and supplies the product for double check and timely delivery.
6. Understands specific handling considerations for storage distribution and disposal of all unit dose and IV medications.
7. Properly utilizes Personal Protective Equipment needles syringes various drug reservoirs and advanced knowledge of specialized techniques and procedures required for the safe handling of cytotoxic agents including negative pressure technique hazardous waste disposal and cytotoxic spill response.
8. Applies safe handling when working with hazardous materials and can reference the Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS:
The Inpatient Rotational Pharmacy Technician is a member of the Pharmacy Service. This individual is accountable to the Inpatient Pharmacy Technician Supervisor or other immediate supervisor who provides the administrative oversight work assignment management of time and leave and completion of all aspects of the performance evaluation. This individual works collaboratively with all levels of VA leadership and services within and outside of the VHA and VISN as well as non-VA health care entities which provide care to patients. Performance will be evaluated based on the degree of the incumbents ability to perform the duties of the position effectively efficiently and safely.

CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUIREMENTS:
Meets the needs of customers while supporting the medical center and service missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients visitors volunteers and all medical center staff) in a courteous tactful and respectful manner. Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively and appropriately.

AGE DEVELOPMENT AND CULTURAL NEEDS OF PATIENTS REQUIREMENT:
Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the duties of the position including the necessary skills to provide care appropriate to the population of the patients served. Sensitive to the individual needs of customers of different ages and backgrounds and can adapt to those differences. Population-specific care includes effectively communicating with patients who are 60 years and older and who may have hearing physical or cognitive impairments. The employee must be able to adjust communication and tracking methods based on age and developmental considerations and accurately assess patient comprehension.

Work Schedule: Full-Time days evenings overnights weekends holidays
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

All requirements must be met at the time of the announcement closing.

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.
  • 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). OR
  • 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:
  • 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.
• 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.
• 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).

• Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) and demonstrate the 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:
  • PTCB as a CPhT. OR
  • NHA as a ExCPT.

• 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:
  • 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.) Note: See Specialized the Definitions Section.
  • 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.
• Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy technicians at this level have a higher level of responsibility for specialized areas of pharmacy and are expected to independently carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty. Pharmacy technicians in this assignment specialize in areas such as sterile compounding oncology controlled substances medication history review clinical specialist(anticoagulation pain infectious diseases) clinical informatics automation immunizations and any other specialized area in the advancement of the profession. The pharmacy technician will serve as a subject matter expert and key resource in the day-to-day technician duties of the specialized area. The technician will be performing assignments such as compounding sterile products filling controlled substance prescriptions while maintaining compliance with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations taking medication histories and counseling patients managing automation managing workflow and training and orienting staff in the specialized area.