To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/08/2025.
Basic Requirements:
- 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:
- None required.
- 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:
- Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
- 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.
Grade Determination: 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).
Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
- Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
- 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:
- 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.)
- Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
- Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.
Preferred Experience:
- Must have experience to receive, read, sort and interpret prescriptions and determine kind, strength and dosage of drugs to be dispensed. Can correlate instructions on the prescription with Pharmacy Policy. Experience to generate labels and processes prescriptions by obtaining correct stock, counting or measuring correct amount of medication.
- Must have comprehensive knowledge of pharmacy automation and computer systems and ability to successfully operate and maintain pharmacy equipment. - normal to the operation (general office equipment, packaging and mail processing equipment, pharmaceutical: electronic counters, scales, repackaging machines, and maintain work in a clean, neat orderly manner.
- Has the ability to communicate orally and in writing to offer non-clinical information to clinical staff and patients in a friendly and courteous manner.
- Possess clerical skills required for automatic data processing (ADP) prescription information entry, collating prescriptions or refill documents with ADP labels generated, record storage and retrieval.
- Must demonstrate ability to adjust to change or work pressure in a pleasant manner; handle differences of opinion in a businesslike fashion; follow instructions conscientiously; and function as a team member, helping the group effort where possible.
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.
Physical Requirements: Position requires occasional travel away from the duty station to other clinics within the Health Care System for pharmacy coverage, meetings and/or conferences. Assessment must be made for any acute or chronic medical/physical condition or medication use which interferes with the ability operate the appropriate Government owned-or-leased vehicle safely and without undue risk to themselves or others. The following requirements must be met: distant vision 20/40 in one eye with or without correction; field of vision 70 degrees; ability to distinguish red, green and amber; whispered voice at five feet, or average hearing loss of not greater than 40 dbs. at 500, 1000 and 2,000 Hz.