Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient Rotational

Veterans Health Administration • Minneapolis, MN

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Inpatient Rotational Pharmacy Technician is a highly trained technician who provides coverage across complex inpatient pharmacy functions, including hazardous and nonhazardous sterile IV compounding, controlled-substance dispensing, phone-call triage, unit-dose medication distribution, medication packaging, and operation of inpatient pharmacy automated equipment. The technician maintains knowledge of applicable USP standards, pharmacy law, DEA regulations, VA directives, and facility and departmental policies and procedures, and maintains competence in pharmacy distribution operations and equipment systems.

The role compounds sterile preparations using aseptic technique, interprets orders, selects and measures ingredients, prepares and inspects products, labels them, documents the process, and supplies products for double-checking and timely delivery. It includes safe handling, storage, distribution, and disposal of medications, including cytotoxic agents and hazardous waste. The technician also supports controlled-substance accountability, inventory management, and distribution in accordance with applicable regulations.

The technician triages calls and coordinates dispensing activities, maintains and stocks preparation and storage areas, supports inventory and first-dose and missing-dose requests, and helps ensure required environmental checks, cleaning, inspections, and documentation are completed. The role also includes operating and maintaining pharmacy equipment, training and orienting employees and learners, collaborating with pharmacists to clarify orders, and assisting in other patient-care areas or emergencies as needed.

This is a non-virtual position with various tours that may include days, evenings, weekends, holidays, and some overnight assignments. Telework is not available. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

• Meet the U.S. citizenship requirement, subject to the stated limited exception for non-citizens under VA policy.
• Be proficient in spoken and written English.
• For the GS-8 grade determination, have one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-7.
• For positions above the full performance level, hold an active national certification as a PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) or NHA Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology, and policies in a specialized pharmacy area.
• Demonstrate skill in training and orienting pharmacy employees and students on policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate, analyze, and coordinate workflow and work activities in a specialized pharmacy area.
• Complete applicable pre-employment screening, background/security investigation, onboarding, and required identification checks.
• Participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the conditions described in the announcement.

Nice To Haves

• Inpatient pharmacy technician experience.

Responsibilities

• Maintain knowledge of USP 797/800/795, pharmacy law, DEA regulations, VA directives, and facility and departmental policies and procedures.
• Maintain competence in pharmacy distribution operations, including sterile compounding, equipment maintenance, materials handling, automation, dispensing, labeling, packaging, documentation, controlled-substance accountability, and unit-dose management.
• Compound sterile preparations using aseptic technique, including parenteral admixtures, infusion syringes, sterile ophthalmic preparations, total parenteral nutrition, and cardioplegia solutions.
• Complete required training, fit testing, glove fingertip and media fill testing, critical-point modules, and sterile-compounding didactic tests within established timetables.
• Interpret orders; select products; calculate, measure, and mix ingredients; inspect final products; label products; document manufacturing processes; and provide products for double-checking and timely delivery.
• Handle, store, distribute, and dispose of unit-dose and IV medications appropriately, including safe handling of cytotoxic agents, hazardous waste, and spills.
• Operate and maintain pharmacy equipment systems and serve as a subject matter expert for those systems.
• Triage inpatient pharmacy phone calls and refer calls to pharmacists as appropriate.
• Coordinate dispensing activities, including printing and filling IV runs, handling TPN review and renewal, printing on-demand sterile compounding requests, inventorying prepacked items, stocking and checking expiration dates, making labels, and filling first-dose and missing-dose requests.
• Collaborate with pharmacists to obtain clarification for prescriptions and orders.
• Maintain and stock pharmacy preparation and storage areas using first-in, first-out procedures.
• Help ensure cleaning schedules, ward inspections, refrigerator and freezer temperature checks, sterile-compounding room pressure, humidity and temperature records, and monthly area inspections are completed as required.
• Manage controlled-substance inventory, handling, disposal, and distribution in accordance with applicable federal, FDA, VA, and DEA requirements.
• Use critical thinking to recognize and solve problems and make appropriate clinical and ethical recommendations to prevent problems or improve workflow.
• Assist with training and orientation of employees, students, and residents in the inpatient pharmacy.
• Prioritize workload, communicate effectively, and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Assist in other patient-care areas and participate in or assist with patient-care activities during emergencies as needed.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for eligible employees and their families.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on qualifying prior federal 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