Pharmacy Technician

Description:

This Pharmacy Technician position is assigned to the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System Pharmacy Service within the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center, Bay Pines, FL. Under the supervision of a pharmacist, pharmacy technicians perform routine pharmacy functions including filling, preparation and dispensing of prescriptions, sterile compounding preparation, management of automated dispensing equipment (ADE), inventory management and multiple types of customer contact services.

Requirements:

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.

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).


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.

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).

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-06. Pharmacy technicians at the full performance level may fill orders, dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs. Duties will include delivery of medications to floors/patients, filling medications for the pharmacist to review, checking for expired medications, answering phones with appropriate disposition, preparing sterile products (when applicable) and assisting with basic inventory management such as putting up stock and identifying when medications need to be ordered.

• Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-05. The knowledge, skills, and abilities at the GS-05 grade level are:
  • Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations.
  • Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas.
  • Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic, chemical and proprietary names of drug).
  • Ability to fill prescriptions.
  • Ability to use pharmacy information systems or basic pharmacy dispensing equipment with oversight.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice.
  • Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation.
  • Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment.
  • Knowledge of basic inventory procedures.
  • Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel.

Preferred Experience:

• A minimum of 1 year of hospital experience. Experience working in a large, complex VA medical center as a pharmacy technician.
• Experience preparing and dispensing medications. Competence in preparing and dispensing unit dose medications accurately and efficiently. This includes ensuring proper labeling, prepackaging, and adherence to protocols and regulations.
• A minimum of 1 year of experience filling and troubleshooting Pyxis and ScriptPro. Proficiency with automated Pharmacy dispensing systems, including the ability to effectively fill, manage inventories, utilize reports, and troubleshoot any operational issues.
• A minimum of 1 year of experience compounding sterile products using aseptic technique.

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-06.


Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over), Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds), Light lifting (under 15 pounds), Heavy carrying (45 pounds and over), Moderate carrying (15-44 pounds), Light carrying (under 15 pounds), Straight pulling (2 hours), Pushing, Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, Both hands required, Walking (up to 4 hours), Standing (prolonged), Repeated bending, Climbing, use of legs and arms (infrequent), Operation of motor vehicle, 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, Specific visual requirement (Ability to read fine print on labels), Depth perception, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Hearing (aid permitted), Clear Speech, Emotional Stability, Good Dexterity. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service, for additional information.