Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This announcement is open to current, permanent employees of the VA. The public and employees of other federal agencies may apply to announcement number CBSY-12831648-26-AA.

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Technician Activities

• The Clinical Pharmacy Technician shall provide support for clinical operations of clinical pharmacy clinics including the Anticoagulation Clinic, as well as other clinical programs and their clinical pharmacists. All duties of the Clinical Pharmacy Technician will be performed under the direct supervision of the assigned Clinical Pharmacist. All clinical decision-making will first be reviewed and directed by the CPP. All assigned clinical activities and functions shall be completed in accordance with approved clinical pharmacy protocols or procedures.
• Functions at a higher independent level than lower grade technicians more than 25% of the time. Will assist CPP triage and assess patients according to clinic protocols, making minor adjustments as reviewed with CPP. Clinical Technician may oversee the lower-grade technical staff to ensure workload is being done in a timely and efficient manner. This also includes teaching, training, and oversite of pharmacy students/interns and new employees as well.

Clinical Activities

• Clinical Assessment a) Obtains and reviews information on compliance, current anticoagulation medication dosages, medication changes, alcohol consumption, smoking, bleeding symptoms and general state of health.
• The Clinical Technician will review assigned medications against established protocols and follow procedures as outlined under the oversite of the CPP.
• Reviews medication history, changes (including herbals, dietary supplements/over the counter (OTC) medications), adherence, and complications of therapy and report findings to Clinical Pharmacist.
• Assesses patient compliance and attains renewals for anticoagulation and other medications as appropriate.
• Routinely monitors laboratory data and refers patients to CPP for evaluation according to clinic protocol.
• Assists with scheduling future lab orders and follow-up appointments.
• Technical duties include completing electronic progress notes, scheduling appointments, administratively completing consults, and documenting data in the Pharmacy record or the patient EHR.
• Communicates to the CPP changes in medications or complications, assisting in the prevention of other drug-related problems, when appropriate.
• Telephone support involves rescheduling patients who have missed appointments, phone interviews of patients who have obtained labs from outside labs, and triaging incoming phone calls from patients, their family members or other health providers.
• Extensive working knowledge of anticoagulation clinic process, anticoagulation medications, safety rules and regulations, and monitoring parameters as required.
• Contributes to clinic flow management by running reports, contacting Veterans and/or family members, reviewing/obtaining records and communicating issues to assist in providing effective clinical care.
• Perform medication histories and reconciliation.
• Interviews patients, family members and/or caregivers, to develop an accurate list of medications, drug strengths, dosages, routes, and instructions the patient has been taking.
• Obtains relevant patient information from patient interviews, assisted living facilities (ALF's), and nursing homes using joint legacy viewer (JLV) with our department of defense (DOD) partners.
• Compares the compiled list with the active medication profile in the computerized medical record of the patient.
• Documents the compiled list in the EHR, noting any discrepancies or omissions within 24 hours of patient encounter.
• Updates and clarifies allergy information in patient's EHR.
• Improves medication safety by collecting up-to-date and prior-to admission medication lists for patients admitted to the hospital.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 7:30-4:15
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

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.
• 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All requirements must be met by the close date of this announcement, 11/14/2025.

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.
• 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).

• 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:

GS-9 Pharmacy Technician
Experience: One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade level, GS-8.
AND
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

AND
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards), controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.).
(b) Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.
(c) Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.
(d) Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists®, controlled substance inspections).
(e) Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.

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-9.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Grandfathering Provision. Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard 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.

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:

• Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)
• Recommended: Write to Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) - See "Qualifications" section of announcement
• Other (3)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps