The Pharmacy Technician (Ambulatory Care) position is located within the Veterans Affairs William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital and Clinics Health Care System Pharmacy. The Pharmacy Technician shall provide and support clinical operations of the clinics and its Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPPs). 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: You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) Education or Experience: a. None required. b. 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 (GS-07 and above): For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: a. Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). (MUST PROVIDE A COPY OF CERTIFICATION) OR b. National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). (MUST PROVIDE A COPY OF CERTIFICATION) 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: Pharmacy Technician, GS-08 In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-08 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07). Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: a. Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). b. National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs: a. 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.) b. Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. c. Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy. 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-08. Physical Requirements: Refence VA Directive and Handbook 5019 ["VISN 12 is committed to fostering and sustaining an environment which celebrates diversity, provides equitable opportunities for employment and promotion, and supports inclusiveness in our culture. Together, we strive to create and maintain working and learning environments that promote professional growth and teamwork, and are inclusive, equitable and welcoming. We embrace our differences as individuals and unite as a team toward a common goal: to serve our nation's Veterans. The duties of this position include clinical support to the PACT, Mental Health, and Specialty Ambulatory Care Clinics, performing New Patient Calls, and assisting in population health efforts to support ambulatory care clinical pharmacy practice. The Pharmacy Technician may be assigned additional clinical and technical management duties to other areas within the Pharmacy Service. Duties include but are not limited to: Coordinates with Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPPs) to provide population health/management functions using patient care dashboards to identify patients for potential intervention across PACT, Mental Health, Specialty Ambulatory Care Clinics. Conducts initial outreach to the Veterans to explain services and offer appointments and services based on clinical situation. Completes new patient clinic calls for patients assigned to the Patient Aligned Care Teams. Documents patient interactions in the patient's clinical record and utilizes clinical reminders and/or population management/health tools for tracking as appropriate. Identifies areas for improvement within the workflow of ambulatory care CPP practice to facilitate the delivery of care to Veterans. Evaluates, analyzes workflows, and coordinates work activities to continually improve the efficiency and safety of clinic practices, including involvement with formal and informal improvement activities. Provide status reports of the ambulatory care CPP programs at periodic intervals (examples may include pharmacy management meetings, staff meetings or workgroup specific meetings). VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEwsTotal-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Pharmacy Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Pharmacy-Technician-Career-Flyer.pdf Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, Day Shift Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Available upon determination by supervisor Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.