Pharmacy Technician

Description:

The VA St. Louis Health Care System is seeking a Pharmacy Technician for inpatient and outpatient settings. The pharmacy technician is responsible for receiving, filling, and distributing outpatient prescriptions, filling inpatient medications, participation in inventory control, and collections of data for statistical purposes.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.

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
GS-6 Pharmacy Technician:

• Education or Experience:
  • One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level.
• 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.
• Assignments:
  • 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.

Preferred Experience: None

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ .

This position is announced at the full performance level.

Physical Requirements: None