Summary

This position functions in the Inpatient Pharmacy section at the Seattle campus - primarily in the unit dose and sterile compounding areas. Work includes preparing sterile hazardous and non-hazardous compounded sterile preparations - medication distribution and inventory control - emergency crash cart replenishment - simple daily maintenance of automated dispensing equipment and interpreting data from pharmacy information systems.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a)
• Education or Experience
• (1) None required
• (2) 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)
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service
• 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)
• Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician - GS-03
• Education and Experience
• One year of post-secondary education
• OR Six months of general experience
• OR Student Technician
• A student enrolled in an approved nationally accredited pharmacy technician program for an occupation identified in 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(A) or (B) may be appointed on a temporary full-time - part-time or intermittent basis under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(D) for a period not to exceed two years or the duration of the individual's program
• Pharmacy Technician - GS-04
• Education and Experience
• Completion of two years of post-secondary coursework related to pharmacy (e.g. - 12 semester hours of science and mathematics courses)
• OR Completion of one of the following: Six months of experience - that demonstrated knowledge of medication or medical field practice
• OR Successful completion of a military or nationally recognized pharmacy technician education/training program
• American of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) - American Pharmacist Association (APHA) - Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) - PTCB or NHA are examples of acceptable professional organizations recognizing such training programs
• NOTE: Training courses recognized by PTCB and NHA are not actual certifications
• OR One year of experience equivalent to next lower grade level
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the education or experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Ability to follow policies and procedures
• (b) Ability to maintain appropriate files
• (c) Ability to communicate with patients and other health professionals
• (d) Ability to follow both written and verbal instructions
• (e) Ability to operate office software/equipment to include - computers - software applications and printers
• Pharmacy Technician - GS-05
• Education and Experience
• Successful completion of four years post-secondary education with courses related to pharmacy (e.g. - 48 semester hours of science - mathematics - pharmacy) or a bachelor's degree
• OR An associate's degree in pharmacy technician or technology (48 semester hours of concentrated pharmacy technician training)
• OR One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the education or experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations
• (b) Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas
• (c) Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic - chemical and proprietary names of drug)
• (d) Ability to fill prescriptions
• (e) Ability to use pharmacy information systems or basic pharmacy dispensing equipment with oversight
• Pharmacy Technician - GS-06
• Education and Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the education or experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice
• (b) Knowledge of preparation - storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation
• (c) Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment
• (d) Knowledge of basic inventory procedures
• (e) Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel Preferred Experience: Inpatient sterile compounding experience preferred
• Prepare sterile hazardous and non-hazardous compounded sterile preparations (CSP's) using aseptic technique and safe handling of hazardous medications described in Chapters 797 and 800 US Pharmacopoeia
• Reference: VA Handbook 5005/159 - Part II - Appendix G28 - November 07 - 2023
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: Physical demands include the following: repetitive motion activities requiring the use hands and fingers for extensive keyboarding and to open and close medication bottles
• sitting or standing for 6 hours
• moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds)
• reaching above shoulder
• repeated bending up to 2 hours
• near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
• ability to distinguish basic colors
• hearing (aid permitted)
• mental and emotional stability.

Duties

• Total-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 Functions or Scope: Unit Dose Medication Management: Fills unit dose and automated dispensing cabinet orders
• Receives inventory from vendors using provided technology - applies barcode or other labeling as indicated and restocks shelves
• Inventories and replenishes emergency cart trays and carts
• Operates and provides routine maintenance for pharmacy equipment - such as automated dispensing machines and barcode label printers
• Repackages a wide variety of pharmaceuticals - labeling them properly and leaving them for final verification
• Performs automation replenishment and processes requests for ward stock
• performs record keeping for these activities
• Uses proper inventory management of Omnicells and proper procedures when adding medications to the Omnicell
• Inspects ward stock supplies for unapproved items - storage practices - and outdates
• performs record keeping for these activities
• Sterile Compounding: Prepares sterile hazardous and non-hazardous compounded sterile preparations (CSP's) using aseptic technique and safe handling of hazardous medications described in chapters 797 and 800 of the US Pharmacopoeia
• Verifies correct formulation and ingredients
• selects and measures appropriate components
• mixes components in a safe and appropriate manner
• inspects the final product for accuracy - appearance and pharmaceutical elegance
• labels the product
• takes responsibility for ensuring timely delivery
• Follows established protocols in determining appropriate beyond-use dates on all pharmaceuticals prepared
• Controlled Substances: Abides by the laws and regulations pertaining to controlled substances and follows all VHA - DEA and local facility requirements
• Knows and follows standard operating procedures for maintaining complete - accurate - and readily retrievable controlled drug accountability records
• Fills inpatient and clinic requests for controlled substances - fills outpatient prescriptions for controlled substances
• Participates in routine inventory counts and inspections - identifies questionable circumstances or unusual trends in narcotic usage
• Immediately reports discrepancies to the supervisor
• Prepares expired or unusable controlled substances for destruction
• General: Teaches pharmacy technicians - students - and proper technique for the preparation of sterile products and teaches students and technicians procedures for the unit dose management system
• Demonstrates the ability to prioritize and make appropriate decisions in urgent or fast-paced situations
• Notifies supervisor of safety or quality concerns in a timely fashion
• Performs tasks unique to outpatient pharmacy as needed - including filling outpatient prescriptions - wrapping mail - answering phones - dispensing medications at the window and working
• Work Schedule: Monday to Friday - 0700 - 1530 with some holidays and weekends
• 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: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized