Clarification from the agency

Open to Veteran Health Administration employees only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties include but not limited to the following:

A. Pharmaceutical Care:

• The clinical pharmacy technician shall provide and support clinical (Anticoagulation Management Clinic (AMC)/Pharmacotherapy) and pharmacoeconomic activities as assigned. All assigned clinical activities and functions shall be completed in accordance with approved clinical pharmacy protocols.
• Routinely reviews the computer medication profile for prescription duplication, therapeutic duplication, prescription noncompliance, and allergies/adverse drug reactions. Reports identified problem patients to the assigned clinical pharmacist for evaluation.
• Routinely reviews laboratory monitoring reports for selected disease states and identifies patients with values outside of the normal limits. Reports identified patients to the assigned clinical pharmacist for evaluation.
• Routinely performs patient medical chart and medication profile reviews to identify poly-pharmacy problems. Reports identified problems to the assigned clinical pharmacist for evaluation.
• Completes clinical pharmacy medication utilization evaluations and protocol-driven clinical pharmacist peer review.

B. Organizational Support:

• The clinical pharmacy technician shall be responsible for the accurate and timely computer entry of medication orders for assigned area(s).
• Input new, refill and mail prescriptions into the computer system after the prescriptions have been reviewed for appropriateness by a pharmacist. Prescriptions entered by the clinical technician shall be verified by a pharmacist prior to processing/dispensing.
• Provide secondary review for the pharmacist by reviewing the order for allergies, eligibility, dosage, schedule, duration and instructions. The clinical technician will also provide a secondary back-up review for any potential drug-drug, drug-disease, drug-nutrient interactions, and therapeutic duplications as well as identifying any potential patient compliance problems.
• Understand the function and activity of the computer and consult with the clinical pharmacist as appropriate concerning operational or compliance-related issues.
• Prioritize operational and assigned clinical functions to provide the highest quality of patient care.

C. Customer Service and Communication:

• Provide telephone triage and patient follow-up as assigned.
• Provide clerical support including telephone support, appointment scheduling, fax/mailing support, and filing support as assigned.
• Communicate and follow-up on requests in a timely manner based on the needs of the clinic team/supervisor(s).
• Meet the needs of all customers while supporting the Medical Center and Service missions.

D. Education and Personal Competence:

• Maintain current certification with the PTCB.
• Successfully complete annual competency certifications based upon the specific clinical functions/ activities assigned.
• Provide in-service programs for appropriate clinic personnel and pharmacy technicians as assigned.
• Participate in clinical pharmacy lectures and educational programs as assigned. Lectures and programs may include journal club, noon lecture series and staff development lectures, etc.

E. Confidentiality and Security:

• Comply with all agency, hospital, and service guidelines and policies related to confidentiality and security
• Follow applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc. as delineated in the computer access agreement and VA policy.
• Protect patient information from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration or unauthorized deletion

Work Schedule: Mon-Fri, 8-4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
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

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.
• English proficiency
• PTCB or NHA certification

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 one year of experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs for all GS-08 assignments and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated.

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.) Note: See Specialized Area.in the Definitions Section
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: In anticoagulation, primary care and med reconciliation

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-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-8.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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
• PCS Orders
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Next steps