Pharmacy Technician (Outpatient Pharmacy)

The Long Beach VA Health Care System is recruiting for (1) Pharmacy Technician (Outpatient Pharmacy).The incumbent prepares prescriptions by counting, pouring, weighing, measuring, mixing, packaging, and labeling the medications as necessary, and any other function related to pharmaceutical practices.

Welcome to VA Long Beach

Tibor Rubin - History

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Verifies patient receives the correct prescriptions by using applicable electronic systems (e.g., VISTA, CPRS, and ScriptPro barcode scanning) to ensure batched medication has active prescription status.
• Reviews prescriptions for accuracy, selects a drug product by its trade or generic name, checks expiration date, and assembles completed orders for pharmacist review and check.
• Serves as a primary source of information for all pharmacy internal and external customers including but not limited to pharmacy clinical contact center on prescription processing and status.
• Ensures proficient use of local mail shipping programs (e.g., Endicia, FedEx).
• Maintains a rolling CS inventory utilizing pharmacy automation system and performs a complete 72-hour inventory count. (Outpatient Vault and Emergency CACHE inventories).
• Ensures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guideline, including the storage of high-risk, look a-like sound a-like, hazardous, controlled substances, corrosive chemical, flammable liquids, and refrigerated items.
• Assists in the revision and implementation of section management procedures and assumes a leadership role within the scope of the assignment as applicable.
• Prioritizes workload to complete assignments on time. Proactively seeks opportunity to support additional pharmacy operation areas when assigned area workload is low or completed.

Work Schedule: Variable shifts
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Education or Experience.
  • (1) None required.
  • (2) 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. For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  • (1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR
  • (2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

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).

• 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.
• 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.
• 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).

Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician, GS-07.

• Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Certification. For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  • (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR
  • (b) NHA as a ExCPT.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • (a) Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.
  • (b) Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
  • (c) Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
  • (d) Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
  • (e) Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
  • (f) Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Pharmacy technicians at this level are nationally certified and can work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties. These pharmacy technicians mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting. They assist advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives. At this level, pharmacy technicians use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy. They also function as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight.

Preferred Experience: Experience as pharmacy technician with direct patient care in outpatient setting.

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-07.

Physical Requirements: Capable of sustained standing, walking, lifting, typing and other procedures necessary to procure or delivery medications and supplies. The work involves long periods of moving, standing and pushing carts about the pharmacy dispensing area. They require regular and recurring bending, stooping, stretching, and lifting/ carrying (up to 40lbs) of pharmaceutical supplies.

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.