Pharmacy Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Oklahoma City (OK); On-site; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs' OKC VA Healthcare System is seeking a Pharmacy Technician at the GS-7 level. Technicians at this grade are nationally certified by PTCB or ExCPT and can work autonomously with independent judgment; higher grades mentor others in the practice setting.

Basic requirements include citizenship rules, English proficiency, and national certification; positions above full performance require certification; work spans inpatient and outpatient pharmacy and may involve

Qualifications

• Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories enabling sound independent work.
• Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions or electronic equivalents.
• Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
• Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
• Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following regulations and procedures.
• Ability to troubleshoot ADE or technology platforms/databases.

Skills

Pharmacy principles

Independent work

Team collaboration

Problem resolution

Training others

Job description

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.

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).

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.