Summary

The GS-8 Inpatient Rotational Pharmacy Technician is a highly trained technician responsible for coverage of a variety of complex positions in the inpatient pharmacy including but not limited to hazardous and non-hazardous sterile IV compounding - controlled substance dispensing - triaging phone calls - unit dose medication distribution - packaging of medication and operations of all Inpatient Pharmacy automated equipment.

Qualifications

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)
• 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: 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 Area.in 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.1
• You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• 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
• 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)
• 9
• Maintains technical working knowledge of equipment and supplies used in compounding and dispensing sterile and non-sterile products including but not limited to automations - needles - syringes - and various compounding devices in both the unit dose and sterile compounding
• 10
• Operates and maintains pharmacy equipment systems including but not limited to Pyxis - BD IV Prep - laminar flow hoods - biological safety hoods - and a variety of medication repackaging machines
• Serves as subject matter expert for these systems to perform complicated manipulations and participate in implementation of upgrades to these systems
• 11
• Responsible for triaging all phone calls to the inpatient area and refer to appropriate pharmacist as necessary
• 12
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Full-time - rotating shift between days and evenings - occasional overnights - assigned weekends and Holidays
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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) Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Telework: Not eligible Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 00000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized