Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians at this grade level are nationally certified by PTCB or ExCPTand can work autonomously, using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties. Pharmacytechnicians above the full performance level can mentor and train lower grade technicians in the practicesetting. The employee will assist the pharmacist in providing optimal care and timely service inaccordance with the mission, vision, and goals of the OKC VA Healthcare System and Pharmacy.

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws
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Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Accurately interpret, fills, and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification.
• Maintains work areas in a clean and orderly condition by assuring that all stock and equipment are in assigned places and all shelves and counters are free of dust and debris in order to create optional work areas.
• Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines, including the storage of high-risk, look a-like sound a-like, hazardous, controlled substances, corrosive chemicals, flammable liquids, and refrigerated items.
• Receives, checks, rotates, and places in stock all items received from pharmacy procurement section and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies to assure correct items have been received.
• Utilizes automation dispensing equipment available to the pharmacy staff following all safety and QA procedures.
• Reports automation malfunctions timely the supervisor as appropriate.
• Records expiration dates in the automatic prescription dispensing system upon receipt.
• Perform monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and so onto expired drugs are removed.
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile). This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used for final pharmacist verification.

• Manufactures products requiring compounding, whether made in large batches for more than one patient or in small batches to fill a single prescription or drug order.
• Correctly interprets physician orders, selects, and measures appropriate ingredients, mixes ingredients in a safe and effective manner, inspects the final product for accuracy, labels the product, maintains records of the manufacturing process, and attains a final check by a pharmacist.
• Uses standard protocols to determine an accurate expiration date for each batch prepared.
• Proficiently operates equipment including but not limited to balances and mixing machines in the routing of manufacturing pharmaceutical products.
• Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems, such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention.
• Assists in training and orientation of new staff technicians, interns, and students. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members.

Sterile Product Compounding

• Follow USP 797/800 Guidelines for the compounding of all sterile preparations, including ophthalmic, cardioplegic, TPN, hazardous, large & small volume IV solutions, PCAs, etc. Manufactures uncomplicated and/or complicated parenteral admixtures to be delivered in the form of large volume, small volume, infusion syringe or other as required.
• Correctly interprets physician orders, selects, and measures appropriate ingredients, mixes ingredients in a safe and effective manner, inspects the final product for accuracy, suitability, and elegance, labels the product, maintains records of the manufacturing process, and supplies the product for pharmacist verification and delivery.

Unit Dose Medication Management

• Performs review of medications prepared by another pharmacy employee to be dispensed to hospital areas.
• Inventories and replenishes emergency trays.
• Operates and maintains automated dispensing unit dose systems.
• Inspects packaged items for accuracy and suitability before submitting for final check, prior to distribution to hospital areas.
• Assures repackaged dosage forms are labeled according to USP and VA standards and attains a final review by a pharmacist.
• Maintains repackaging records that assures all regulatory and review standards are met.

Automatic Replenishment/Ward Stock

• Correctly inventories, assesses, and determines the need for floor stock and external medication.
• Follows established policies and procedures, schedules, inventory levels, and usage rate reports to determine appropriate stock levels for specific areas of use.
• Accurately fills prescription items for wards using Automatic Replenishment reports.
• Performs and documents an inspection of assigned hospital areas for medication storage. Removes all expired and deteriorated drugs from the automated dispensing stations, stocks shelves, and the unit dose automated dispensing systems.

Work Schedule: Various tours: (7:00am - 3:30pm, 8:00am - 4:30pm, 3:30pm-Midnight, and others based on the needs of the service) This includes rotations on weekends and holidays
Functional Statement #: 635-59043-A

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.

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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).
• 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).

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 appointment, VA HR staff must use the following criteria to determine the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

Pharmacy Technician, GS-7

1. Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6).
2. 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. PTCB as a CPhT. OR
   2. NHA as a ExCPT.
3. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
   • Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.
   • Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
   • Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
   • Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
   • Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
   • Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

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. This position is being recruited at the GS-7 level.

Physical Requirements: Work is performed primarily in the inpatient pharmacy and outpatient care areas, where there is a potential for exposure to communicable diseases. Such areas are adequately heated and ventilated, and safety precautions are required. In some cases, dealing with anti-neoplastic drugs may expose the incumbent to hazardous and toxic agents. The incumbent works with drugs/chemicals and must exercise precautions to avoid accidental contact to the skin, eyes, and lungs.

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.