Clarification from the agency

This is an INTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT and is limited to current permanent employees of the Iowa City VA Health Care System and current permanent VA Nationwide employees. If you are not in any of these categories, you should apply under the external announcement number CBSY-12860967-26-HMP. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

1. Routinely reviews computer medication profile for prescription duplication, therapeutic duplication, prescription noncompliance, allergies / adverse drug reactions, changes in medications, health, alcohol consumption, signs and symptoms of bleeding or thromboembolic events, upcoming surgery or procedures, and falls. Reports identified patients to the assigned clinical pharmacist or supervisor for evaluation.
2. Routinely reviews laboratory monitoring reports for selected disease states and identified patients with lab values beyond normal limits. Reports identified patients to the assigned clinical pharmacist for evaluation.
3. Routinely performs patient medical chart, medication profile, and action profile reviews to identify poly-pharmacy situations. Reports identified patients to the assigned clinical pharmacist for evaluation.
4. Provides supplemental reinforcement education for patients concerning operational issues or need for therapy compliance.
5. Documents clinical and operational activities in CPRS and Vista.
6. Assists in orientation of pharmacy learners (residents, pharmacy students) or new employees (pharmacists, new technicians).
7. Helps review, process, or triage messages within the secure messenger app, message manager, or other VA communication tools to the clinical pharmacy specialist as indicated.
8. Supplements clinical pharmacists in ensuring safe utilization of DOAC agents by reviewing and processing patient flags on the National VA DOAC Dashboard.
9. Communicates with Veterans taking DOACs via telephone or letters to address potential non-adherence, facilitate the scheduling of labs at a VA facility, or identifying recent labs obtained within the community.
10. Monitors the overdue for labs queue on the National VA DOAC Dashboard by reviewing CPRS, Vista images, or JLV for community-based labs.
11. With the assistance of the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, the technician will communicate with physicians / providers regarding DOAC orders that are without refills or expired.
12. Provides clinical support through telephone and voicemail triage, appointment scheduling across multiple pharmacy clinics, e-faxing, and mailing.
13. Reviews clinic consults and Return to Clinic (RTC) orders routinely to schedule new patients and follow-up visits.
14. Ensures accurate documentation in both the CITC activity log and CPRS notes.
15. Processes eRx prescriptions by verifying patient, provider, and medication information, confirming CITC coverage, and addressing rejected prescriptions according to established protocols.
16. Monitors multiple clinics for records of patients who fail to show for scheduled appointments and initiate reminders to ensure continuum of care.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm
Telework: Not Available
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

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

1. Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States
2. English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)
3. 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.
4. 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).

Pharmacy Technician, GS-08 Grade Requirements:

1. Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-08 you must possess at least 1 year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07). Experience includes mentoring and training lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting; assisting advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participating in performance improvement initiatives; using independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy; functioning as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight.
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:
   1. Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.)
   2. Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
   3. Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.

Preferred Experience: At least one year of recent experience in a current or previous job that includes anticoagulation management or hospital pharmacy.

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.

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

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. Incumbent will be required to complete a driving physical.

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:

• Professional Certification
• 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
• Clinical Resume (can be greater than 2 pages). See instructions above.
• *Highly Recommended* Write to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) on a separate document - KSAs are found under qualification/grade requirements in the announcement.
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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

Next steps