ASHHRA Career Center

The Lead Pharmacy Technician will divide duty hours between the pharmacy administration office suite and the outpatient pharmacy. In the outpatient pharmacy, the incumbent will be assigned on a rotation basis to various positions, including pharmacy call center, outpatient pharmacy inventory management, non-sterile compounding, controlled substance management, as well as medication preparation and shipping. 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. A high school diploma or equivalent; or at least 3 months experience. Certification. Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is required at grades GS-6 and above. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy technicians appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Experience. One year experience at the next lower (GS-6) level and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. KSAs for the GS-6 level include: Ability to solve problems and make recommendations, e.g., troubleshoot operational problems and refer for appropriate action. Knowledge of the operation and care of automated equipment. Knowledge of, and ability to follow, written instructions for compounding with aseptic technique for hazardous materials such as oncology agents. Knowledge, and ability to perform, compounding with aseptic technique for routine sterile products. Knowledge of policies and procedures for inventory management in specialized areas such as emergency carts. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process demonstrated by the ability to input prescriptions and medication orders. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following GS-7 technical KSAs and the potential to acquire the assignment specific KSAs designated by an asterisk (*): *Ability to evaluate, analyze workflow, and coordinate work activities. Ability to independently gather, evaluate, and analyze data to generate reports and/or for other projects/statistical purposes. Knowledge of pharmacy policies and procedures sufficient to train and orient new employees and other staff. Comprehensive knowledge of the operation and care of specialized pharmaceutical equipment. Comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process. Comprehensive knowledge of investigational drug policies and procedures. Comprehensive knowledge of controlled substance policies and procedures, and the ability to identify and investigate discrepancies in these policies and procedures. Comprehensive knowledge of, and ability to, analyze data in VA information systems. All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II Appendix G-28, Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standard GS-661, Veterans Health Administration. ["**This is an Open Continuous Announcement. The first review/referral of applications will occur 5 business days after the opening of this announcement; after this date applicants will be reviewed on a weekly basis.** Duties include, but are not limited to: Identifies the customer's/patient's pharmacy or medication related situation and appropriately triages or performs the tasks required to resolve the customer's/patient's problem accurately and in a timely manner. Follows up, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. Represents the pharmacy department by greeting visitors to the pharmacy office suite, triaging phone calls to the pharmacy administration office suite, and maintaining a presentable working area by supplementing cleaning by environmental services. Participates in daily management huddles. Provides administrative follow-up of committee procedures and agendas, continuing education, and service policies and procedures. Ensures minutes of meetings are completed accurately, efficiently and in a timely manner. Support onboarding activities for new pharmacy employees including creating employee folders. Coordinate onboarding activities of pharmacy students and residents by creating accounts, scanning forms, and facilitating fingerprinting. Serve as the administrative timekeeper for the Pharmacy Leadership T&L and as a backup timekeeper for the other pharmacy T&Ls and their timekeepers. Arranges travel accommodations for pharmacy leadership including submitting trip tickets and placing vehicle reservations. Support the scheduling operations of outpatient pharmacy clinics by building clinic grids, canceling appointments, and restoring appointments. Maintains competence in all operational aspects of pharmacy service including specialty equipment and materials, automation, distribution, labeling, packaging, documentation, controlled substance accountability, procurement, and inventory management. Maintains and understands the operation of pharmacy equipment and automation. Effectively utilizes the Electronic Health Record (EHR) and other automated pharmacy equipment and computer software systems. Troubleshoots in the event of pharmacy equipment or associated software malfunction, including requesting service assistance from VA entities or the equipment vendor. Reads and interprets prescriptions for technical accuracy, complete prescription filling process including labeling and batching prescriptions utilizing robotic automation when applicable. Assists staff and patients, either by phone or in person, concerning drug distribution, refill requests, mail, and general triaging of requests for the pharmacists. Documents patient requests as necessary in the EHR and alert the appropriate provider. Performs inventory, fills prescriptions, and maintains all paperwork, files, and computer entries. Triage phone calls and appropriately route to pharmacists, pharmacy management, members of medical team, or other areas of the medical center. Assists patients with tele-pharmacy applications including patient orientation to the application. Provides patient education on pharmacy topics such as requesting refills, drug information sheets, and relaying judgmental questions to the pharmacist. Assists the Procurement Technician to initiate and coordinate actions required by Food and Drug Administration (FDA), drug manufacturer or PBM to retrieve and process drugs recalled by the manufacturer. Communicates information relating to the recall to the Pharmacy Recall Coordinator, Pharmacy Leadership and pharmacy staff and assures that necessary disposition, documentation, and follow-up actions required by the recall are accomplished. Conducts monthly medication storage area inspections in inpatient wards and outpatient areas for audit purposes. Completes thorough inspections, document findings, and share findings with pharmacy management. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for highly qualified candidates Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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