Summary

The incumbent is a highly specialized technician, who, under the authority of the Compound Sterile Products (CSP) program manager, Hematology/Oncology program manager, and Inpatient Pharmacy Supervisor or designee, is responsible for the preparation of sterile products handled by pharmacy.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. §
• 7407(a)
• 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)
• Grandfathering Provision
• Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions
• Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• 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)
• GS-07 Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Pharmacy technicians at this level are nationally certified and can work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties
• These pharmacy technicians mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting
• They assist advanced/ specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives
• At this level, pharmacy technicians use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy
• They also function as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight
• Grade Determinations GS-08: Experience
• Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) and demonstrate the KSAs below
• Certification
• For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: PTCB as a CPhT
• OR NHA as a ExCPT
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs for ALL GS-08 assignments and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (such as sterile compounding, controlled substances, automation, clinical pharmacy, contact center, etc.) Note: See Specialized Area.in the Definitions Section
• Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures
• Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-08
• Physical Requirements: The work environment is an inpatient pharmacy, an outpatient pharmacy and/or a patient care area environment (including the Surgical Suite, Primary Care, or Emergency Department)
• There may be extremes of temperature, distractions, noise from equipment or patient care activities
• Handles frozen and refrigerated products often
• May be required to use heating equipment
• Exposure to negative and positive air pressure rooms is also possible
• Must be able to don/doff protective garments and use equipment as necessary for assignment
• May work with cleaning and disinfecting products occasionally
• Must have the use of fingers
• both hands required
• Twisting and grasping of bottles and vials or syringes occurs frequently
• Some lifting (50 lbs.), stretching and forward and overhead reaching is involved
• Walking and standing 8-12 hours
• repeated bending 8 hours
• both legs required
• May have to kneel to retrieve product(s) from lower cabinets or the floor
• Must be able to rapidly coordinate mental and muscular duties simultaneously
• Computer keyboard activity and computer monitor use is frequently performed
• May be required to operate robotic packaging machinery and automated dispensing devices
• Fine motor skills (for packaging and counting) and excellent visual acuity (for expiration date, tablet identification, and prescription interpretation) are required
• Near vision correctable @ 13"
• to 16"
• to Jaeger 1 to 4
• far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception
• ability to distinguish shades of colors
• Hearing acuity is required for phone communication, patient counseling and professional communication (hearing aid use is permitted)
• May be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials
• May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature, flexible sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• Works closely with others
• May have protracted or irregular hours of work
• Shift rotation is commonly required.

Duties

• VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEwsTotal-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Pharmacy Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Pharmacy-Technician-Career-Flyer.pdf General: Accurately interpret, fills, and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification
• Maintains work areas in a clean and orderly condition by assuring that all stock and equipment are in assigned places and all shelves and counters are free of dust and debris in order to create optimal work areas
• Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines, including the storage of high-risk, look a-like sound a-like, hazardous, controlled substances, corrosive chemical, flammable liquids, and refrigerated items
• Receives, checks, rotates, and places in stock all items received from pharmacy procurement section and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies to assure correct items have been received
• Utilizes automation dispensing equipment available to the pharmacy staff following all safety and QA procedures
• Reports automation malfunctions timely the supervisor as appropriate
• Records expiration dates in the inventory system (ie
• Central Pharmacy Manager) upon receipt
• Performs monthly inspections of assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and soon to be expired drugs are removed
• Completes inspection reports in compliance with regulatory requirements
• Demonstrates the ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality
• Participate in performance improvement initiatives for pharmacy
• Assists in quality improvement activities by participating in assessment and action teams that will improve service as assigned
• Assists higher level technicians as needed
• Completes all National, VISN, local, and Pharmacy mandatory trainings in a timely manner
• Maintains national certification with PTCB or ExCPT
• Controlled Substances Activities: Accurately interpret, fills, and readies prescriptions with appropriate medications for pharmacist verification
• Appropriately restocks controlled substances items in automated secured cabinets (i.e., Omnicell) in pharmacy or throughout medical center, as assigned
• Documents all controlled substance related transactions as indicated by VA and DEA guidelines
• Assures that inventory counts are correct at the time of restocking
• Ensures that proper handoff occurs when receiving or delivering controlled substances, always assuring that these medications are never left unsecured
• Reports unresolvable discrepancies to immediate area supervisor for resolution
• Assist in investigating, witnessing, and resolving discrepancies
• Complies with all laws, regulations, directives, policies, and procedures applying to the dispensing, storage, transfer, inventory, and accountability of controlled substances
• Sterile Product Compounding: Using aseptic technique, compounds both complicated and uncomplicated parenteral admixtures in the form of large volume, small volume, infusion syringe or another modality as required
• Prepares sterile ophthalmic preparations and other complex sterile pharmaceuticals such as total parenteral nutrition and cardioplegia solutions
• Correctly interprets orders, selects, and measures appropriate ingredients, mixes ingredients in an aseptic and effective manner, inspects the final product for accuracy, suitability, and elegance, labels the product, maintains records of the manufacturing process, and supplies the product for delivery
• Understands specific handling considerations for storage, distribution, and disposal of medications in accordance with local GEMS coordinators
• Receives hazardous IV chemotherapy inventory stock according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) guidelines placing in proper storage areas, rotating stock on shelves, and removing/replacing outdated items
• Unit Dose Medication Management: Performs review of medications prepared by another pharmacy employee to be dispensed to hospital areas
• Inventories and replenishes emergency trays, bags, and kits
• Operates and maintains automated dispensing unit dose systems (i.e
• overwrap system, syringe labeler, Yuyama packager)
• Inspects packaged items for accuracy and suitability before submitting for final check, prior to distribution to hospital areas
• Assures repackaged dosage forms are labeled according Outpatient Pharmacy Activities: Prescription Assembly Window Pick-Up Mail Packaging Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 3:00pm - 11:30pm with rotating weekends and holidays
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD93247A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized