Summary

This position is located within the Miami VA Healthcare System. This position provides support to all pharmacy operations in a variety of settings. This includes patient care activities in the main outpatient dispensing pharmacy - phone center - outpatient clinic - administration area - or other area as assigned by the supervisor.

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
• 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)
• Certification-Documentation Submitted
• 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)
• Foreign Education-Documentation Submitted
• 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
• Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician - GS-07 Experience
• Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower (GS-6) 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: The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board as a CPhT
• Or - The National Healthcareer Association as a ExCPT
• 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
• 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 at this grade level may be appointed to one of the following assignments: Pharmacy Technician
• 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
• Preferred Experience: Pyxis Automation and/or Script Pro Dispensing System
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• This position is above Full Performance Level
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Major duties but - not are limited to: Reads and interprets prescriptions from the veteran electronic health record systems (EHRS) or in written format
• Reviews prescription orders for technical accuracy
• Prepares medications and ensures the orderable item matches the item being dispensed with regard to drug - strength - quantity - or appropriate supply item
• Dispenses medications following all regulations - policies - and procedures for safe medication distribution
• Uses Automatic Dispensing machines (ADM) to batch and label medications
• Ensure ScriptTalk labels are batched if needed
• Understands when to use other prescription labels with computer outages
• Maintains highly sophisticated pharmacy equipment
• This includes cleaning procedures and maintenance of ADM's and other counting machines
• Troubleshoots equipment and databases when needed
• Assists with automated or manual inventory processes that include but are not limited to inventory counts - medication ordering - stocking - checking for outdates - pulling outdates - pulling recalled medications - inspections or any other activity related to the supply of VA medications
• Accurately interprets EHRM patient medication profiles
• Is able to confirm prescription information in the Pharmacy computer packages
• Able to execute refills or other technician duties within the pharmacy software
• Accurately or updates patient information in the many pharmacy software packages such as ADM's and EHRM
• Accurately enters notes into the electronic health record using pharmacy templates or blank forms
• Comprehends and participates in procurement activities - inventory management - narcotic dispensing - secure messaging - overnight mail - partial fills - window dispensing - administrative reports - prescription review - and incident reports as delegated by supervisor
• Prioritizes workload to complete assignments on time
• Maintains a safe orderly and clean working environment
• Pharmacy Phone System Able to use the current facility phone system
• Maintains appropriate phone etiquette and professionalism
• Able to work independently in phone center locations
• Accurately collects and clarifies patient information
• Mail Packing Understands and uses the mail shipping programs used by the facility (i.e. - USPS - FedEx - UPS) for priority shipping of non-controlled and controlled prescriptions
• Performs searches - updates patient information - and generates shipping reports as requested by the supervisor
• Contacts patients to arrange shipment of refrigerated prescriptions and verifies patient's address for accuracy
• Medication Management System Assists the pharmacist with problem solving patient care or medication issues
• Assists in quality improvement projects as an individual or on assigned teams to improve pharmacy service
• Assists to complete required pharmacy reporting obligations as directed
• Controlled Substances (CS) Accurately maintains a rolling inventory in automation and performs a complete inventory every 72 hours per VA guidelines
• Matches hardcopy prescriptions to prescription labels according to current federal and state requirements in a timely fashion
• Monitors prescription orders for dispensing accuracy and communicates potential problems to supervisor
• Performs equipment maintenance on automation as directed
• Automation Knows the basic procedures to run the automated prescription filling machines
• Uses hand held scanner and/or scale to load and re-stock canister with correct medication using NOC and barcodes
• Other Duties Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 11:30AM - 8:00PM with rotating weekends & holidays Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 30958F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized