Pharmacy Technician

The VA St. Louis Health Care System is seeking a Pharmacy Technician for outpatient settings. The pharmacy technician is responsible for receiving, filling, and distributing outpatient prescriptions, 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.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, rotating day and weekend shifts, 0730-1800
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 0000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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).

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:
Pharmacy Technician, GS-03
Education and Experience

1. One year of post-secondary education. OR
2. Six months of general experience. OR
3. 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.

Pharmacy Technician, GS-04
Education and Experience:

1. Completion of two years of post-secondary coursework related to pharmacy (e.g., 12 semester hours of science and mathematics courses). OR
2. Completion of one of the following:
   1. Six months of experience, that demonstrated knowledge of medication or medical field practice. OR
   2. Successful completion of a military or nationally recognized pharmacy technician education/training program. American Society 6 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
   3. One year of experience equivalent to next lower grade level.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the education or experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Ability to follow policies and procedures.
2. Ability to maintain appropriate files.
3. Ability to communicate with patients and other health professionals.
4. Ability to follow both written and verbal instructions.
5. 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.

Pharmacy Technician, GS-05
Education or Experience;

1. 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
2. An associate's degree in pharmacy technician or technology (48 semester hours of concentrated pharmacy technician training). OR
3. 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:

1. Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations.
2. Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas.
3. Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic, chemical and proprietary names of drug).
4. Ability to fill prescriptions.
5. 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.

Pharmacy Technician, GS-06
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:

1. Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice.
2. Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation.
3. Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment. (d) Knowledge of basic inventory procedures.
4. 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 is 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 GS-6.

Physical Requirements: None

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.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• 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.