Pharmacy Technician

The VA St. Louis Health Care System is seeking a Pharmacy Technician for inpatient and outpatient settings. The pharmacy technician is responsible for receiving, filling, and distributing outpatient prescriptions, filling inpatient medications, participation in inventory control, and collections of data for statistical purposes.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Major Duties

• Reads and interprets prescription orders, obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form.
• Determines proper amount of medication and counts, pours, or measures medication and affixes proper label.
• provides delivery of medications, supplies, or prescriptions within the facility.
• Provides patient education on pharmacy topics such as requesting/refill process and drug information sheets.
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile).
• Completes monthly quality assurance rounds as assigned.
• Works with all pharmacy programs in VISTA, CPRS, and other databases.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional


Work Schedule: Full-Time, 0730-1800 - Rotating Day Shifts
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): 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)
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 Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Duty Station: John Cochran Division; however, the duty station may be changed to one of multiple locations within the VA St. Louis Health Care System based on the needs of the facility.

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:

• 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.
• 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).
• 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.

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

GS-3 Pharmacy Technician:

• 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
• Assignment
  • Employees at the entry-level are developmental trainees. The pharmacy technician trainee is performing routine pharmacy duties under direct supervision of higher graded technicians to learn the basic functions of pharmacy operations.

GS-4 Pharmacy Technician:

• 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 of medication or medical field practice, OR,
    • Successful completion of a military or nationally recognized pharmacy technician education/training program. American Society 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 the next lower grade level.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the education or experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Ability to follow policies and procedures.
  • Ability to maintain appropriate files.
  • Ability to communicate with patients and other health professionals.
  • Ability to follow both written and verbal instructions.
  • Ability to operate office software/equipment to include, computers, software applications and printers.
• Assignments:
  • Employees at this grade level serve in a pharmacy technician developmental position. Pharmacy technicians at this level perform duties such as dispensing prescriptions at the pharmacy window and prepacking medications.

GS-5 Pharmacy Technician:

• Education or 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:
  • Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations.
  • Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas.
  • Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic, chemical and proprietary names of drug).
  • Ability to fill prescriptions.
  • Ability to use pharmacy information systems or basic pharmacy dispensing equipment with oversight.
• Assignments: Pharmacy technicians at this developmental level perform all duties expected of employees at lower grade levels; however, they are expected to exercise greater judgement, require less supervision and operate in accordance with all established policies and procedures. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level will fill orders and dispense/deliver medications using automated systems. These technicians require oversight of assigned duties by full performance level technicians and or pharmacists.

GS-6 Pharmacy Technician:

• Education or Experience:
  • One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition, 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.
• Assignments:
  • Pharmacy technicians at the full performance level may fill orders, dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs. Duties will include delivery of medications to floors/patients, filling medications for the pharmacist to review, checking for expired medications, answering phones with appropriate disposition, preparing sterile products (when applicable) and assisting with basic inventory management such as putting up stock and identifying when medications need to be ordered.

Preferred Experience: Previous Outpatient pharmacy experience preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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 GS6.

Physical Requirements: None

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.