Career Center

Summary

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is looking for a Pharmacy Technician in the Inpatient Pharmacy Service. The Inpatient Pharmacy area serves adult and elderly Veterans needing care within the Cincinnati VAMC system 24 hours a day 7 days a week - nights - weekends - and holidays. Providing support for the hospital staff by reading and interpreting orders - obtaining the proper medication or material in the proper dose and strength.

Qualifications

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:

• a
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• b
• 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
• c
• Certification
• For positions above the full performance level - the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: (1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
• OR (2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)
• (d) 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: (1) 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
• (2) 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
• (3) 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
• (4) 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
• (5) 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
• e
• 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
• d
• 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 Determination: Pharmacy Technician - GS-07
• (1) Experience
• Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• (2) 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) PTCB as a CPhT
• OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT
• (3) Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles - practices - concepts and theories providing for sound independent work
• (b) Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent
• (c) Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team - Veterans and external customers
• (d) Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students
• (e) Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations - policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution
• (f) Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases
• AND Pharmacy Technician - GS-06
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• 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
• Assignments
• For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Pharmacy technicians at this level are nationally certified and can work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties
• These pharmacy technicians' mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting
• They assist advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives
• At this level - pharmacy technicians use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy
• They also function as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy - including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations - with minimal oversight
• Preferred Experience: Inpatient Pharmacy Experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS7
• Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion - involving standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time - typing - walking distances within the medical center - lifting/ carrying (up to 40 pounds) of pharmaceutical supplies and bending/stooping/stretching.

Duties

• The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati - OH and Fort Thomas - KY serving 15 counties in Southwest OH - Northern Kentucky - and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue - KY
• Florence - KY
• Lawrenceburg - IN
• Hamilton - OH
• Clermont County - OH - and Georgetown - OH
• The CVAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division
• Duties a
• Medication Management System: 1
• Reads and interprets prescriptions - obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form - determines proper amount and counts - pours - or measures the medications
• affixes proper label
• and records required data on Pharmacy's copy of prescription/order
• After a final check by a pharmacist - dispenses medication in ambulatory care or discharge situations
• 2
• For unit-dose medications - performs final review of medication when prepared by another technician - to be dispensed to inpatient areas (med-carts - ward stock) - and/or fills unit-dose carts independently without secondary review when necessary
• 3
• Inventories and replenishes emergency carts with appropriate medications and supplies
• 4
• Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as required
• 5
• Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment such as unit dose prepackaging machines - automatic dispensing machines - IV compounding machines and other pharmacy devices
• Able to troubleshoot the equipment and the technology platforms/databases
• 6
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile)
• 7
• This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used
• 8
• After prescription/order(s) are reviewed by a pharmacist for therapeutic propriety - reviews orders for technical accuracy and converts the order - if necessary - so that the item dispensed corresponds to the drug and dose ordered
• 9
• Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel with regard to drug distribution procedures and timeframes for delivery
• 10
• Identifies basic therapeutic problems such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention
• 11
• Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessment and action teams - continually seeks to improve services
• 12
• Conducts ward inspections of patient care areas
• 13
• Maintains - verifies - stocks - and replaces outdates in patient care areas and the areas' automated dispensing machines
• 14
• Ensures all look alike - sound alike - high alert - refrigerated - hazardous and other special handling medications are stored properly according to manufacturers' recommendations and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requirement
• 15
• Monitors inventory needs in-patient care areas - relays this information to the appropriate Pharmacy personal
• This also includes placing stock in proper storage areas - rotating stock on shelves and removing/replacing outdated items
• 16
• Maintains a training/education manual for the focus area assigned
• 17
• Provides training and mentorship to new or existing staff
• 18
• Monitors refrigerator temperature on a daily basis in pharmacy service
• 19
• Assists with inventory management and ordering of medicines and supplies
• 20
• Performs all the duties of lower graded technicians - if required
• 21
• Understands requirements of USP 795 - USP 797 - USP 800 - disposal of hazardous materials - safe medication distribution and electronic prescription processing
• b
• General Duties: 1) As deemed necessary by the pharmacy supervisor - assists in other patient care areas (including outpatient pharmacy services) to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services
• However - primary assignments of work schedule and tours would involve inpatient pharmacy services
• Inpatient services may include aseptic admixture preparation including cytotoxic agents - automatic and on-demand ward stock replenishment - maintenance and operation of automated prepackaging storage and dispensing equipment - assembly and documentation of controlled substance requests and properly packaging with documentation of single unit of use medications
• Ensures all inventory automation equipment in the pharmacy service is properly refilled and utilized to maintain inventory controls
• Participates in ensuring the Operating Room satellite is properly stocked for injectable - non-injectable and controlled substance medications
• 2) Performs all duties of lower graded technicians - as assigned
• Work Schedule: Rotating 1st - 2nd - and swing shifts - occasional nights & weekends
• rotating holidays Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 92144-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized