Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Pharmacy Dispensing/Distribution Services: The Pharmacy Technician will be involved in assuring appropriate, safe, and accurate medications are dispensed to veterans in an efficient manner. The pharmacy technician will provide a range of medication management and administrative services. These activities include:

• Provides patient care utilizing an in-depth knowledge of specialized areas of pharmacy practice. Maintains and understands the operation of pharmacy equipment and automation, such as ScriptPro, TCG-Rx, BD Cato, and Pyxis.
• Assists staff and patients, either by phone or in person, concerning drug distribution, refill requests, mail, and general triaging of requests for the pharmacists.
• Assists in assuring that pharmacy programs are compliant with all regulatory and accrediting body requirements (i.e., Joint Commission, FDA, ASHP, DEA, OIG, etc.).
• Actively participates in the procurement process supporting just in time inventory management. This may include serving as a back-up procurement technician where responsibilities may include ordering or receiving product.
• Inspects all areas of the facility outside of the pharmacy where medications are dispensed, administered, or stored, including medication carts, automated medication dispensing cabinets, (Pyxis Medstations™), physical cabinets and drawers, supply carts, refrigerators, crash carts, and emergency kits.

Distributive

• Interprets pharmacy orders; obtains medication in the correct strength and dosage form; determines proper amount and prepares product; affixes proper label; and documents proper information.
• Prepares non-sterile compounds independently for dispensing to patients or other health care providers for use in clinical areas.
• Compounds sterile products to be delivered in the form of large volume, small volume, and other complex pharmaceuticals such as chemotherapy. Completes documentation and uses knowledge of safe handling and disposition of hazardous materials used in pharmacy.
• Dispenses controlled substances according to current policies and procedures and standards established by DEA, FDA, VA, and Joint Commission.

Controlled substances:

• Accurately interpret, fills, and readies prescriptions with appropriate medications for pharmacist verification
• Appropriately restocks controlled substances items in automated secured cabinets (i.e., Pyxis) in pharmacy or throughout medical center, as assigned.
• Documents all controlled substance-related transactions as indicated by VA and DEA guidelines.
• Ensures that proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances, always assuring that these medications are never left unsecured.
• Reports unresolvable discrepancies to immediate area supervisor for resolution. Assist in investigating, witnessing, and resolving discrepancies.
• Complies with all laws, regulations, directives, policies, and procedures applying to the dispensing, storage, transfer, inventory, and accountability of controlled substances.

Education:

• Assists in the training of pharmacy employees, pharmacy residents, pharmacy students, and pharmacy technician students as assigned to the pharmacy technician in coordination with the pharmacy supervisor.
• Successfully complete learning assignments and maintain annual competencies to compound hazardous and non-hazardous preparations according to USP <795><797> <800> and other regulatory standards.

Work Schedule: 9:00 am-5:30 pm Monday-Friday
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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 #: 00000

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 identification 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

Pharmacy Technician Basic Requirements:
To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

• Citizenship: You must be a citizen of the United States
• English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• 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 (GS-07 and above): 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).

• 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:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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:

Experience is only creditable if: the candidate possesses the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice. The candidate's experience must be evidenced by active professional practice. (Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional pharmacy technician.)

Pharmacy Technician GS-7

• 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).
  • GS-6 equivalent experience is demonstrated by the following duties: fills orders, dispenses/delivers medications using automated systems or provides technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs. Delivers medications to floors/patients, fills medications for the pharmacist to review, checks for expired medications, answers phones with appropriate disposition, prepares sterile products (when applicable) and assists with basic inventory management such as putting up stock and identifying when medications need to be ordered.
• 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).
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs:
  1. Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.
  2. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
  3. Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
  4. Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
  5. Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
  6. Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

Preferred Experience: Previous hospital experience preferred. Retail pharmacy experience acceptable.

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-7.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.
4. All other Applicants in unranked order.

Veterans' Preference has been waived for the 0661 occupational series in FY26. Eligible applicants will be referred in unranked order.

*Note: Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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:

• Proof of certification from PTCB as a CPhT. OR NHA as a ExCPT
• Resume

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Clinical Resume/CV (can be greater than 2 pages). See "Special Note for Applications" above.
• RECOMMENDED: Write to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) on a separate document - KSAs are found under qualification/grade requirements in the announcement
• Proof of certification from PTCB as a CPhT. OR NHA as a ExCPT
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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