Pharmacy Technician (Outpatient-Controlled Substances)

The Controlled Substance Pharmacy Technician is a highly specialized technician, who will perform a variety of complex and highly regulated functions in the management of controlled substances in the outpatient pharmacy. The incumbent is expected to maintain a high degree of accurate productivity and performance while being extremely sensitive to the specific contribution to total patient care.

The technician will be performing assignments filling controlled substance prescriptions while maintaining compliance with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations, managing automation, managing workflow and training and orienting staff in the specialized area.

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE
A. Controlled Substance Management:

• Ability to prepare, fill, and dispense controlled substance according to policies and procedures.
• Conducts regularly scheduled inventories every 72 hours and daily if needed according to regulations and policies.
• Assists the Controlled Substance Compliance Inspectors to complete the monthly inspections.
• Effectively coordinates, manages, completes, and documents the purchasing of all prescription and non-prescription drug products and supplies by maintaining a comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process.
• Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdated CS medications from stock - including inpatient wards, inpatient/outpatient storage cabinets, vaults.
• Maintains accurate electronic inventory through decrementing prescriptions, entering received inventory, transferring to automated dispensing cabinets, dispensing on green sheets, and transferring to other dispensing vaults.
• Prepares, operates, restocks, and maintains complex automated dispensing cabinets and all necessary equipment supporting pharmaceutical patient care functions.
• Resolves inventory discrepancies immediately when discovered by reviewing reports and contacting appropriate persons when needed. Reports discrepancies to pharmacy supervisor for follow up.
• .Ensures all controlled substances procedures abide by all local requirements, VISN, OIG and VHA handbook expectations and requirements, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, VACO directives, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requirements, appropriate inventory management practices, and other state and local requirements that apply.
• Performs all duties of lower graded technicians, if required

Procurement Stock and Maintenance:

• Utilize appropriate inventory measures such as just-in-time, usage rates, stock levels, contract adherence, return of expired medications, and inventory turns to limit medication waste and comply with all applicable policies.
• Manage different stock items within and outside of pharmacy automation and alerts appropriate personnel for reordering purposes or of any issues with restocking.
• Routinely monitor and report any possible drug discrepancies or diversion to appropriate supervisor or pharmacist.
• Check for outdated/expired medications prior to dispensing or compounding and as outlined by pharmacy service. If outdated/expired medications are found, promptly removes from services, and wastes accordingly.
• Responsible for appropriately restocking various assigned stations satisfactorily prior to shift end.

Education:

• Participate in the training of other pharmacy technicians, pharmacy students, PGY-1, and PGY-2 residents at Edward Hines Jr, VA Hospital.
• Interfaces with other health-care providers and administrators to ensure compliance with established pharmacy and medical center policies and procedures.
• Ensure that all facility mandatory training/requirements (e.g., fire and safety, prevention of sexual harassment, customer service and prevention of violence in the workplace) are accomplished within established timetables including proper documentation of compliance in appropriate filing system.
• Demonstrates infection control practices for disease preventions (i.e., hand washing, universal precautions/ isolation procedures, including TB requirement/ precautions).
• Understands and complies with federal, state, and local environmental laws and other requirements, preventing pollution, minimizing waste, conserving cultural and natural resources, and continually improving environmental programs.

Administration/Technical Support:

• Identify cost reduction/cost avoidance activities on a periodic basis.
• Open and sort main distributing contents to appropriate areas and packages mail according to mailing system utilized.
• Perform clerical or other functions as requested.
• Plan and complete tasks based upon established protocols, standard operating procedures, individual instructions, and/or accepted pharmacy practices.
• Regularly attends and provides input on staff meetings as applicable.

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

Work Schedule: Full Time; Mon-Fri 7:00am-3:30pm, 8:00am-4:30pm.
(with a rotating weekends/holidays)
Telework: N/A
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

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.
• 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)
• Education or Experience: (1) None required.
• Certification: The employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
• (a) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)

OR,

• (b)National Health career Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).

A COPY OF YOUR CERTIFICATION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION.

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).


GS-8 Pharmacy Technician Grade Determinations:

Experience. Must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service; working autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties; mentoring and training lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting; assisting advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participating in performance improvement initiatives; using independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy; functioning as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy.

One year experience at the next lower level, and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level.
-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
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs.
-Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.)
-Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
-Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.

Preferred Experience:
(Controlled Substance)-Experience as a outpatient pharmacy technician, working as a lead technician and/or lead controlled substance technician.

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-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-8.

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 have a higher level of responsibility for specialized areas of pharmacy and are expected to independently carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty. Pharmacy technicians in this assignment specialize in areas such as sterile compounding, oncology, controlled substances, medication history review, clinical specialist (anticoagulation, pain, infectious diseases), clinical informatics, automation, immunizations and any other specialized area in the advancement of the profession. The pharmacy technician will serve as a subject matter expert and key resource in the day-to-day technician duties of the specialized area. The technician will be performing assignments such as compounding sterile products, filling controlled substance prescriptions while maintaining compliance with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations, taking medication histories and counseling patients, managing automation, managing workflow and training and orienting staff in the specialized area.

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 50 lb., and bending/stooping. Work is typically performed in a clinical setting that exposes incumbent to communicable diseases, biohazards, hazardous chemicals, and hazardous medications common in a health care environment. Such exposure will be mitigated in accordance with local policies and operating procedures as per USP 800 standards, OSHA guidance and local risk assessment practices. Standard safety precautions and PPE are required and specified per local policies. Some work is performed in a setting away from the pharmacy where the environment cannot be controlled.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.