Pharmacy Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Pharmacy Technician to support operations in the Central Virginia Health Care System, including the main outpatient dispensing pharmacy, phone center, and clinics. The role involves working under supervision with knowledge of the pharmacy workflow and regulatory requirements.

Applicants must meet basic VA qualifications, including U.S. citizenship, English proficiency, and appropriate certification.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Certification as a PTCB/CPhT or ExCPT is required for higher grade levels.
• Proficiency in English (spoken and written).
• At least 1 year of experience for GS-07 after GS-06 is required.

Responsibilities

• Support pharmacy operations across settings including outpatient dispensing, phone center, and clinic.
• Assist in processing prescriptions and medication orders in the computerized system.
• Ensure safe medication distribution and compliance with policies and procedures.
• Train development pharmacy technicians and students as needed.

Skills

Pharmacy principles

Prescription processing

Medication issue resolution

Train others

Dispense medications

ADE troubleshooting

Tools

Scriptpro

Job description

This position is located within the Central Virginia Health Care System. This 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. 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. 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: A COPY OF YOUR CERTIFICATION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION.
  1. Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR
  2. National Health career Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
• 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).

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

In addition to the basic requirements VA HR staff must use the following criteria to determine the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

Grandfathering Provision.

A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

1. Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
2. Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
3. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
4. Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
5. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.

GS-07, Pharmacy Technician

(1) Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-07 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-06).

(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. Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
2. National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)

(3) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical 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.

Preferred Experience: Outpatient pharmacy, Scriptpro experience

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 7.

Physical Requirements: The work requires repetitive motion, standing, walking, reaching, stooping, lifting heavy objects up to 50 pounds, pushing heavy or bulky carts and at times may be physically demanding, sometimes for extended periods of time.