Pharmacy Technician

Veterans Health Administration•Salisbury, NC

4d•Onsite

About The Position

This Pharmacy Technician position functions primarily in Pharmacy Service in inpatient care areas at the Salisbury VA Medical Center. The technician prepares medications for inpatients in a variety of settings, including sterile product preparation, and performs work at the GS-07 level. Technicians at this level work autonomously using independent judgment, may serve in different pharmacy locations, and mentor and train lower-graded technicians. They also assist specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance-improvement initiatives. The position follows a Monday-through-Saturday schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with rotational weekend and holiday work. Telework is not available, and this is not a virtual position. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized. Applicants must meet applicable federal employment requirements, including U.S. citizenship, English proficiency, background and security review, and required onboarding and identification procedures. Selected applicants must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program and serve a one- or two-year trial period. For the GS-07 grade, applicants need one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade and must demonstrate the specified pharmacy knowledge, skills, and abilities. National certification requirements apply to positions above the full-performance level. Preferred experience is in inpatient pharmacy.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship; non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
Proficiency in written and spoken English.
For the GS-07 grade, one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
Demonstrated knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts, and theories sufficient for sound independent work.
Knowledge of computerized prescription processing and entering prescriptions and medication orders, or an 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 compliance with regulations, policies, and procedures for safe medication distribution.
Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment or technology platforms and databases.
Ability to perform the position's duties efficiently and to meet physical and mental demands.
For positions above the full-performance level, an active national certification through PTCB as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) or NHA as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT) is required.
Successful applicants are subject to background and security investigation; selected applicants must complete onboarding and provide acceptable identification.
Participation in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program is required.
A one- or two-year trial period is required.

Nice To Haves

Inpatient pharmacy technician experience.

Responsibilities

Perform final review of medication prepared by another technician for dispensing to inpatient areas, including medication carts and ward stock, and independently fill unit-dose carts when necessary.
Prepare inpatient drug orders in various dosage forms, including intravenous admixtures and oral solid medications, according to established procedures and protocols.
Inventory and replenish emergency carts.
Collect drug-use evaluation data for quality-improvement purposes.
Operate and maintain pharmacy equipment, including unit-dose prepackaging machines, automated dispensing machines, and IV compounding machines; troubleshoot equipment and technology platforms or databases.
Compound or reconstitute non-sterile oral or external medications, calculating and converting appropriate weights and measures.
Participate in medical-center and pharmacy-service process assessments and action teams to support quality improvement.
Conduct periodic inspections of patient-care areas.
Maintain, verify, stock, and replace outdated items in automated machines in patient-care areas.
Monitor inventory needs in inpatient care areas and relay information to appropriate pharmacy personnel.
Store stock appropriately, rotate shelf stock, and remove or replace outdated items.
Assist with medicine inventory management and ordering.
Mentor and train lower-graded pharmacy technicians and students.
Assist advanced or specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance-improvement initiatives.