Career Center

Summary

The Fargo VA Healthcare System is recruiting for an intermittent (casual) Pharmacy Technician.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Pharmacy Technician Basic Requirements: To qualify for appointment to this position - all applicants must possess the following: Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• 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 (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: Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)
• Grandfathering Provision
• A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) 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
• Grade Determinations: GS-06 Pharmacy Technician (Full Performance Level) Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements - to qualify for the GS-06 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05)
• Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience or education above - 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
• Preferred Experience: Pharmacy automation and general pharmacy technician tasks Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standard
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. Physical Requirements: 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

• 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 paper or electronic copy of prescription/order
• Prepares compounded sterile preparations including IV additive solutions and performs bulk compounding
• After a final check by a pharmacist - dispenses medication in ambulatory care or discharge situations
• Delivers medications to patient areas following established procedures and maintains the medications in a secure manner during the delivery process
• Repackages medications for use in outpatient or inpatient pharmacy following established procedures and maintains all required documentation
• Assists with inventory management and ordering of medicines
• Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as required
• Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment
• 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
• Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution
• 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
• Assists in quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessment and action teams and continually seeks to improve services
• Conducts monthly ward inspection of medication storage areas in the facility
• Monitors inventory needs in patient care areas - relays this information to the appropriate Pharmacy personnel
• This also includes placing stock in proper storage areas - rotating stock on shelves - and removing/replacing outdated items
• Provides training to new or existing staff so that these competencies are maintained
• Assists patients with tele-pharmacy applications including patient orientation to the application
• Provide patient education on pharmacy topics such as requesting refills and drug information sheets
• Relays judgmental questions to the pharmacist
• Complies with all VHA - Medical Center - and Pharmacy regulations - directives - policies and procedures
• Handles controlled substances: Outpatient Pharmacy: Responsibilities include reviewing controlled substance prescriptions from the community for accuracy and authenticity - filling the prescription through ScriptPro and Vista - dispensing controlled prescriptions at the window to the Veteran - preparing controlled prescription to be mailed - maintaining accurate inventory counts and assisting with bi-weekly controlled substance inventories
• Inpatient Pharmacy: Delivering controlled substances to the wards and loading into Omnicell automation - maintaining accurate inventory counts - compounding controlled substance IVs - assisting with bi-weekly controlled substance inventories
• May work in all areas of the pharmacy to include outpatient pharmacy - inpatient pharmacy - IV pharmacy - controlled substance areas - outpatient window - medication delivery - unit dose - ward stock - prescription filling packaging and mailing - processing prescription requests - window/mail prescription dispensing - telephone triage - patient care areas as assigned by the pharmacy technician supervisor
• The work schedule and tours are assigned to ensure coverage in all these areas
• Work Schedule: Intermittent (Casual)
• Intermittent employment is defined as non-fulltime employment in which employees serve under an excepted or competitive service appointment without a regularly scheduled tour of duty
• A position with an intermittent work schedule is sporadic and unpredictable so that a tour of duty cannot be regularly scheduled in advance
• Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized