Pharmacy Technician - Informatics and Medication Safety

Veterans Health Administration • Iowa City, IA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Pharmacy Technician - Informatics and Medication Safety role serves as a subject matter expert in pharmacy automation and informatics by managing and coordinating multiple automation systems, developing workflows and staff training, and supporting the Medication Safety Officer through data collection, event reporting, safety surveillance, quality improvement, education, staff guidance on safety processes, and administrative support to the Medication Safety Subcommittee. This role involves managing the technical aspects of pharmacy automation systems, coordinating hardware and software, ensuring system availability, resolving issues, and serving as a liaison to IT and vendors. Additionally, the role supports medication safety by assisting with event reporting, data collection, monitoring compliance with safety standards, and preparing summaries of medication event data. The position also involves supporting the department's residency program and performing specialized automation, informatics, and medication safety duties at least 25% of the time.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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.
• All requirements must be met at the time of the announcement closing.
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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. 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). OR National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
• Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
• English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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).
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-08) for GS-9.
• Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards),controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.).
• Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.
• Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.
• Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists®, controlled substance inspections).
• Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.
• Pharmacy technicians at this level must have expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for the complex program area and manage all aspects of compliance with these standards with limited input from pharmacy supervisor(s).
• Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Nice To Haves

• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a subject matter expert and key resource in the technical areas of pharmacy automation and informatics.
• Organizes, coordinates, and manages the technical aspects of multiple pharmacy automation systems under the supervision of informatics pharmacists.
• Develops workflows and related training and orientation of pharmacy staff.
• Assists the Medication Safety Officer with data collection, event reporting, medication safety surveillance, quality improvement activities, and educational support.
• Serves as a resource for staff on medication safety processes and reporting procedures.
• Provides administrative support to the Medication Safety Subcommittee.
• Performs other duties as assigned, including but not limited to those of a GS-07 or GS-08 Pharmacy Technician in the inpatient and outpatient pharmacies.
• Manages the technical aspects of multiple pharmacy automation systems under the supervision of informatics pharmacists.
• Coordinates hardware and software across ICVAHCS and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) to ensure timely, safe, efficacious, and cost-effective services.
• Ensures maximum system availability.
• Resolves system issues or escalates appropriately.
• Notifies affected staff and pharmacy leadership of system outages.
• Proactively communicates planned outages and contingency plans.
• Provides front-line technical support.
• Serves as liaison to Office of Information and Technology (OIT), Healthcare Technology Management (HTM, "BioMed"), and vendors.
• Submits and monitors service tickets.
• Coordinates installations and support.
• Participates in system testing.
• Develops, maintains, and provides pharmacy system orientation and training.
• Contributes to standardized and vetted orientation and training plans for all new pharmacy employees.
• Develops and runs reports as needed.
• Responds to operational information requests before applicable deadlines.
• Establishes and maintains record keeping systems.
• Assists in the collection, entry, and tracking of medication-related safety events, including adverse drug events (ADEs), medication errors, and near misses, using designated reporting platforms such as JPSR and VA Adverse Drug Event Reporting System (ADERS).
• Conducts preliminary review of event reports for completeness and accuracy prior to pharmacist or Medication Safety Officer review.
• Supports pharmacists in monitoring facility compliance with VHA, FDA, DEA, OIG, and Joint Commission medication safety standards by gathering and organizing compliance data.
• Runs and compiles standard reports from safety databases as directed, distributing them to designated staff for analysis.
• Assists in the preparation of de-identified summaries of medication event data for pharmacy management and interdisciplinary sharing.
• Maintains up-to-date records of ISMP alerts and communicates related notifications to pharmacy staff as instructed.
• Supports the department's residency program through participation in informatics and medication safety rotation activities.
• Performs specialized automation, informatics, and medication safety duties at least 25% of the time.
• Performs other professional or administrative tasks as assigned by the Pharmacy Informatics Supervisor, Medication Safety Officer, or Chief of Pharmacy Service.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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)
• 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 .
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

What This Job Offers

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