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 When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time off 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)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000000
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-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/.

This position is announced at the full performance level.

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 dentification 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.