Career Center

Summary

Are You Ready To Join Our Team? Position is located within the Central Virginia Health Care System. Position functions primarily in the inpatient care areas and the Pharmacy Service within the VA Medical Center. Position provides support to all pharmacy operations in a variety of settings requiring performance of duties with an understanding of the workflow - the pharmacy routine - and the responsibilities of the pharmacy program.

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: None required 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
• 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: 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
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT
• National Health career Association (NHA) - Certified Pharmacy Technician (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: Inpatient Pharmacy Experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS7
• Physical Requirements: Employees are typically expected to work forty hours per week
• This may include nights - weekends and/or holidays as assigned
• Principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g
• lifting and carrying light loads (up to 44lbs.) - including boxes - equipment - unit dose-cassettes - and IV solutions
• stooping or kneeling (e.g
• to pick up items from the floor - remove and replace items on lower shelves - and to file documents in lower file drawers - etc.)
• sitting - walking - or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours)
• Normal range of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively
• must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color
• An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary
• Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job.

Duties

• This position functions primarily in the inpatient care areas and the Pharmacy Service within the VA Medical Center
• The Pharmacy Technician practices as a Pharmacy Technician in the Inpatient Pharmacy of Salem VA Medical Center
• Area serves adult and elderly Veterans needing care within the Salem VAMC system 24 hours a day 7 days a week - nights - weekends - and holidays
• Duties listed below but not limited to: Providing support for the hospital staff by reading and interpreting orders - obtaining the proper medication or material in the proper dose and strength
• Working alongside the Pharmacist to ensure the correct medication is compounded - packaged - and delivered to the correct patient - provider - or automated dispensing system
• Expected to accomplish all duties related to stocking - delivering - inventory - inspections - assembling ward orders - prescription assembly - controlled substances distribution - sterile compounding (including hazardous drugs) - unit-dose drug packaging - dispensing - distribution - and any other function related to pharmaceutical practices
• Performs assigned duties under the supervision and is expected to acquire and maintain a high degree of accurate productivity and performance
• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Rotating Schedule (9:00pm-7:00am and 7:00pm-7:00am) Compressed/Flexible: Compressed schedule of 7 days on - 7 days off Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized