Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current VHA employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws
Duties:

Medication Management:

• Works collaboratively with VISN programs, services, and interdisciplinary team members to provide access to care and meet the need of Veterans, their family members and/or legal representatives via various available contact modalities to include, but not limited to, telephone calls, VA Health chat messages, and secure messages, regarding a broad range of topics including medication refills and renewals, basic billing inquiries, and procedural pharmacy activities.
• Routinely reviews computer medication profiles for therapeutic duplication, prescription non-compliance, allergies, and drug interactions.
• Processes and submits patient requests for new prescription orders and renewal requests, including controlled substances, into the computer accurately, thoroughly, and in a timely manner.
• Consistently documents patient contact and resolution in VISN Clinical Contact Center software and/or the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to include, but not limited to, what was requested, what action was taken, and any other information which may be pertinent during future research. Assists in the documentation of medication variances.
• Assists in training for lower graded technicians and technician students.
• Assists in the completion of workload for other VISN Clinical Contact Center Pharmacy Services in the event of natural disasters, low staffing, or other contingency needs.

General Duties:

• Actively and diligently treats all Veterans with respect and utmost dignity. Seeks to solve Veteran's concerns at first contact. When required, refers to other VA resources to assist in the resolution process. Always resolves all Veteran issues in a timely and caring manner with emphasis on providing first contact resolution.
• Seeks assistance from designated Lead Technician, a pharmacist or supervisor when responding to unusual questions or when reasonable attempts to satisfy a caller have been unsuccessful.
• Follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files. Ensures Electronic Health Record (EHR) access to all sites serviced are maintained.
• Participates in continuous daily improvement and VISN VA Health Connect initiatives.
• Maintains National Pharmacy Technician Certification, PTCB or ExCPT.
• Completes additional duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 1:00pm - 9:30pm Eastern and every other weekend and holidays.
Remote: This position is designated as remote. Remote work is defined as full-time employment conducted outside of a VA facility or in VA-leased spaces. The option for remote work will be assessed continuously, and the selected individual may need to return to a VA office if required. The selectee must live within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center.
Functional Statement #: 91483-A

Conditions of employment

• You 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
• Education or Experience: None required.
• Certification: For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  • (1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR
  • (2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT)

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).

• 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.

Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician, GS-07

• (1) Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• (2) Certification. For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT.
• (3) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • (a) Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work. (b) Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
  • (c) Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
  • (d) Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
  • (e) Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
  • (f) Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

Preferred Experience: Call/Contact Center experience preferred. Cerner experience preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary. The employee will be required to sit at a computer monitor for long periods of time to complete the duties of the position.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.