Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent employees of the facility, VA Saint Cloud Health Care System. Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.

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Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• General Pharmacy Duties:
  • Accurately interprets, fills and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and/or medical supplies for Pharmacist verification.
  • Maintains work area 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.
  • Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines, including the storage of high-risk, look-alike/sound-alike, 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 automated dispensing equipment available to the Pharmacy staff following all safety and QA procedures. Reports automation malfunctions timely to the supervisor, as appropriate.
  • Records expiration dates in the automated prescription dispensing system 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 compliance.
  • Answers questions from Pharmacy and non-Pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems, such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class, and alerts the Pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention.
  • Assists in training and orientation of new staff Technicians, interns and students. Assumes an active role in the overall Pharmacy training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents and professional and non-professional staff members.
• Outpatient Pharmacy Activities:
  • Assembles prescriptions properly with the correct drug, strength, quantity, auxiliary labels, prescription labels, and correct batching labels for window dispensing, mail delivery, or internal delivery to inpatient wards and other clinics within the Medical Center.
  • Assures that the correct medication is filled by using bar code scanning on stock bottles.
  • Supports automation by manually completing prescriptions not processed through the automated dispensing machine.
  • Works with the automated prescription dispensing machine by performing daily and routine maintenance, operating the machine to fill prescriptions, troubleshooting issues as needed, and ensuring efficient operation.
  • Assures the timely completion of all prescriptions.
  • Verifies patient's identification following the Medical Center policies during order dispensing.
  • Verifies that the patient receives the correct prescriptions using software.
  • Verifies that the patient has received all prescriptions, to include refrigerated, controlled substances, bulk medications, etc.
  • Utilizes and comprehends the facility's mail shipping programs for the delivery of prescriptions, including controlled and non-controlled medications, as well as supplies.
  • Packages prescriptions appropriately to assure that packages are not damaged during transit.
  • Utilizes VA software programs to check narratives and problem solve deliveries for patients with no physical address.
  • Manages and triages telephone calls received by Pharmacy.
  • Answers questions from Pharmacy and non-Pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm, 8:00am-4:30pm, or 9:30am-6:00pm.
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Eligible
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below
• 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

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. § 7403(f).
• 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).
• 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.

Grade Determinations:

Pharmacy Technician, GS-07:

• Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6).
• 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 all of the following KSAs:
  1. Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.
  2. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
  3. Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
  4. Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
  5. Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
  6. Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.

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-7. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-7.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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.

This job is open to current permanent employees of the facility, VA Saint Cloud Health Care System.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.

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.