Lead Pharmacy Technician

Veterans Health Administration • Bay Pines, FL

10h • Hybrid

About The Position

The VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center (CCC) is seeking an experienced Lead Pharmacy Technician to support clinical and pharmacoeconomic activities. The CCC provides virtual healthcare assistance to Veterans through a 24/7 operation staffed by triage nurses, practitioners, pharmacists, and administrative staff. This is not a virtual position. Telework may be granted; on days when telework is not approved, the employee must be able to report to a facility location within the VISN 8 service area.

The Lead Pharmacy Technician responds to Veterans, family members, and legal representatives about medication refills and renewals, basic billing inquiries, and pharmacy procedures. The technician reviews medication profiles and medical records for therapeutic duplication, noncompliance, allergies or drug reactions, polypharmacy, and abnormal laboratory findings, referring identified concerns to a pharmacist or supervisor as appropriate. The role also processes prescription orders and renewals, including controlled substances, and supports refill, return-to-stock, and partial-fill requests using approved protocols.

The technician handles escalated concerns, supports first-call resolution, provides operational or therapy-compliance information under pharmacist supervision, and leads staff training. The role includes helping team members meet organizational goals and participating in daily improvement and VISN CCC initiatives. The full performance level is GS-8. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; hours may vary based on service needs and holiday coverage.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• For positions above the full performance level, an active national pharmacy technician certification: PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) or NHA Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
• For the GS-08 Lead Pharmacy Technician grade, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methods, and policies in a specialized pharmacy area.
• Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy employees and students on policies and procedures.
• Ability to evaluate, analyze, and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized pharmacy area.
• Ability to perform lead duties independently and assist with technician oversight.
• Ability to perform regular and recurring physical exertion, including prolonged standing or sitting, typing, and bending, stooping, and stretching; ability to sit at a computer and perform searches and data entry for hours at a time.
• Meet VA pre-employment screening, onboarding, identification, background/security investigation, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements; selected applicants are subject to urinalysis screening for illegal drug use.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, during which continued employment is evaluated.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in pharmacy technical training and coaching.
• Ability to work well with others and provide exceptional internal customer service.
• Experience with project development.
• Considered an expert in a front-line pharmacy technician role.

Responsibilities

• Respond to calls from Veterans, family members, and legal representatives regarding medication refills and renewals, basic billing inquiries, and pharmacy procedures.
• Review computer medication profiles for therapeutic duplication, prescription noncompliance, allergies, and drug reactions.
• Refer patients with identified medication concerns to a pharmacist or supervisor for further evaluation, as needed.
• Review medical records and medication profiles to identify polypharmacy or abnormal laboratory findings and report identified patients to a pharmacist.
• Accurately and promptly process and submit requests for new prescription orders and renewals, including controlled substances.
• Use approved Pharmacy Service protocols to address patient medication requests when appropriate.
• Handle refill, return-to-stock, and partial-fill needs when appropriate.
• Under pharmacist supervision, provide supplemental information about operational issues or therapy compliance.
• Professionally address issues escalated by team members and follow guidelines for appropriate resolution.
• Answer and handle telephone calls promptly and support first-call resolution.
• Maintain National Pharmacy Technician Certification.
• Lead the training of new staff and provide training and encouragement to team members who are not meeting organizational goals.
• Participate in continuous daily improvement and VISN CCC initiatives.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.
• Lead pharmacy technicians and support daily operations, workflow, and quality within the service.
• Perform at least three applicable lead duties, such as assigning tasks and preparing schedules; addressing resource and workflow needs; supporting the unit in a supervisor's absence; training personnel; providing supervisor input on employee performance and training needs; adjusting assignments for absences or changing priorities; and resolving simple informal complaints or referring more difficult matters to a supervisor.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to the employee and family, subject to position and eligibility.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed