Pharmacy Technician

Veterans Health Administration • Topeka, KS

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Pharmacy Technician serves in patient care areas and Pharmacy Service within a healthcare organization. This nationally certified role performs complex duties across medication preparation and distribution, inventory management, controlled-substance handling, pharmacy automation, customer support, and staff training. The technician coordinates ward inspections under supervisor guidance, monitors their timely and accurate completion, and helps train and oversee pharmacy technicians. The position also supports process monitoring and improvement and performs duties of Pharmacy Technician Grades 3–6, along with other pharmacy duties as needed to maintain consistent services.

The work includes preparing and labeling inpatient and outpatient medications for pharmacist review; handling, recording, securing, and delivering controlled substances under applicable policies and regulations; compounding sterile and non-sterile products in accordance with USP standards; maintaining inventory and pharmacy automation; and assisting staff and patients with distribution and refill inquiries while referring clinical issues to a pharmacist.

The schedule is Monday through Friday on the day tour, with off tours as needed by the department. Telework is not available, and this is not a virtual position. The position requires an active national pharmacy technician certification for this grade, along with the stated experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities. Preferred experience is in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Requirements

• For the GS-07 grade, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Active national certification for positions above the full performance level: PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) or NHA Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
• Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts, and theories sufficient to perform sound independent work.
• Knowledge of computerized prescription processing and prescription or medication-order input, or the electronic equivalent.
• Ability to resolve pharmacy or medication issues with healthcare team members, Veterans, and external customers.
• Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
• Ability to dispense medications or sterile products in accordance with regulations, policies, and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
• Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment or technology platforms and databases.
• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated statutory exception for non-citizens when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and, if selected for a testing-designated position, urinalysis screening for illegal drug use.
• Must complete the required background/security investigation, onboarding, and application documentation; seasonal influenza vaccination is required for VA healthcare personnel.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Foreign education used to qualify must be evaluated as equivalent to U.S. education by a specialized private organization; qualifying education must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and accredited.

Nice To Haves

• Inpatient and outpatient pharmacy experience.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate ward inspection assignments under supervisor guidance to ensure coverage, and monitor inspections for timely and accurate completion.
• Provide training and oversight for pharmacy technicians; train, orient, and mentor pharmacy personnel on facility and department policies and procedures.
• Maintain tracking processes for selected noncontrolled-substance inventory; select appropriate drug products and complete inventory cycle counts.
• Prepare and label inpatient and outpatient medications for a pharmacist’s final review.
• Prepare and label controlled-substance prescriptions for pharmacist review in accordance with security, record-keeping, and other applicable requirements.
• Complete controlled-substance inventory functions and receive new and returned stock according to applicable inventory policies and record-keeping requirements.
• Operate and maintain pharmacy automation according to standard operating procedures, replenish controlled and noncontrolled substances in automated systems, and update medication information in the systems.
• Monitor pharmacy automation activity and alert supervisors to discrepancies, behavioral patterns, or irregular actions; maintain annual medication updates in automation systems.
• Assist medical center staff and patients by phone or in person with drug distribution, refill requests, mail, and general request triage; refer clinical issues to a pharmacist.
• Compound hazardous and non-hazardous sterile products in accordance with USP 797 and USP 800, and prepare non-sterile products in accordance with USP 795.
• Interpret, process, fill, label, record, and deliver controlled-substance orders and prescriptions; record transactions in the VistA Controlled Substance Software package and secure and file hardcopy dispensing records according to VHA and DEA regulations.
• Deliver controlled-substance orders to patient care units, ensure authorized nursing personnel review and sign for orders, and enter vault deductions into assigned point-of-care cabinets as restock/refill transactions.
• Assist with controlled-substance investigations as needed.
• Assist department leadership with data collection for process monitoring and improvement activities.
• Perform duties of Pharmacy Technicians Grades 3–6 and other duties in patient care areas as needed to maintain consistent pharmacy services.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Selected applicants may qualify for additional annual-leave accrual credit based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees with family income below $144,000 may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, up to 25% of eligible childcare costs and subject to a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) contributions of up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs may be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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