Clarification from the agency

Open to the public. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Major Duties:
I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNED DUTIES.
The employee will assist the pharmacist in providing optimal care and timely service in accordance with the mission, vision, and goals of the Robley Rex VA Medical Center and Pharmacy Service.
II. Functions
A. General
1.Interprets, fills, and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification.
2. Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines, including the storage of high-risk, look alike/sound alike, hazardous, controlled substances, corrosive chemical, flammable liquids, and refrigerated items.
3. Checks, rotates, and places in stock all items received from pharmacy procurement section and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies.
4. Utilizes automated dispensing equipment available to the pharmacy staff, and reports automation malfunctions timely to the supervisor as appropriate.
5. Records expiration dates in the automated prescription dispensing system.
6. Performs monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and soon to expired drugs are removed. Completes inspection reports in compliance with regulatory requirements.
7.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.
a. Manufactures products requiring compounding for single or multiple patients.
b. Uses standard protocols to determine an accurate expiration date for each batch prepared.
c. Proficiently operates equipment including, but not limited to balances and mixing machines in the compounding of pharmaceutical products.
8. 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.
9. Assists in training and orientation of new technicians, interns, and students.
10. Performs duties of all lower grade technicians as needed.
11. Participate in performance improvement initiatives for pharmacy.
12. Assists higher level technicians as needed.
13. Completes all national, VISN, local, and service mandatory trainings in a timely manner.
14. Maintains national certification with PTCB or ExCPT.
15. Complies with all VHA, Medical Center, and Pharmacy regulations, directives, policies, and procedures.

B. Controlled Substance Activities
a. Appropriately restocks controlled substance items in automated dispensing cabinets (i.e., Pyxis) in pharmacy or throughout medical center.
b. Documents all controlled substance related transactions as indicated by VA and DEA guidelines.
c. Assures that inventory counts are correct at the time of restocking.
d. Ensures that proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances, always assuring that these medications are never left unsecured.
e. Assists inspectors with the inventory and accountability inspections.

C. Inpatient Pharmacy Activities
a. Sterile Product Compounding -follows 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. Consistently displays competence with good manufacturing practices, sterile technique, and IV workflow technology.

D. Unit Dose Medication Management
a. Performs review of medications prepared by another pharmacy employee to be dispensed to hospital areas.
b. Inventories and replenishes emergency and anesthesia trays.
c. Assures repackaged dosage forms are labeled according to USP and VA standards and attains a final review by a pharmacist.
d. Maintains repackaging records that assures all regulatory standards are met.
E. Automatic Replenishment/Ward Stock
a. Correctly inventories, assesses, and determines the need for floor stock and external medication.
b. Accurately fills prescription items for wards using Automatic Replenishment reports or automation software.
F. Outpatient Pharmacy Activities (to be completed after hours, weekends, and holidays
a. Prescription Assembly
b. Window Pick-Up-Verifies the patient's identification following the Medical Center's policies (i.e., two patient identifiers. Verifies that the patient receives the correct prescriptions by using VA software (i.e., ScriptPro and barcode scanning.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 1030-1900. Holidays shifts should be expected. Holiday tours could fall between 0530 - 1900
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): No
Telework: No
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 40359-f
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): No

Conditions of employment

• 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.
• 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.

• 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.

Qualifications

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.
• (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:
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
• OR
• (2) National Health career 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 by38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Resume/CV
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps