Clarification from the agency

Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1st - Current Permanent Legacy VISN 22 Employees within the Catchment Area; 2nd - Current Permanent Veterans Health Administration employees within the Catchment Area. 3rd - All other applicants within the Catchment Area. The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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Major Duties:

• Work collaboratively with VISN programs,services, and interdisciplinary coordinated care team members to provide access to care and meet the needs of Veterans, their family members, and/or legal representatives via various available contact modalities to include but not limited to telephone calls,secure messaging, chat,text messaging, and video 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 and allergies/drug interactions. Transfers identified patients to Pharmacist or Supervisor for further evaluation, if needed.
• Reviews patient's medical record and medication profiles to identify situations for polypharmacy and/or abnormal lab findings. Reports identified patients to a Pharmacist
• Processes and submits patient requests for new prescription orders and renewals(including controlled substances) into the computer accurately, thoroughly, and in a timely manner. Uses approved 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 the medication variances.
• Under the supervision of a Pharmacist, provides supplemental information concerning operational issues or the need for therapy compliance.
• Assists int the completion of workload for other VISN Clinical Contact Center Pharmacy Services in the event of natural disasters, low staffing, or other contingency needs.
• Performs all duties of lower graded technicians as required.
• Resolves simple and informal problems and complaints regarding VISN Clinical Contact Center Pharmacy Services, technology problems, and systems when production is compromised. Refers more difficult problems to the supervisor.
• Ensures pharmacy resources are in optimal working condition, addresses workflow needs, and alerts the appropriate Pharmacy supervisor of any necessary changes,as appropriate.
• 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(FCR).
• Maintains National Pharmacy Technician Certification, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or Exam for the certification of Pharmacy Technicians(EXCPT).
• Assists in developing training guidance, provides training and orients VISN Clinical Contact Center Pharmacy Technicians.
• Reports to appropriate VISN Clinical Contact Center Pharmacy Supervisor on team and individual work accomplishments, progress, and/or problems in mastering tasks and work processes, and individual team training needs.
• Discusses team assignments, projects, and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames from completion.
• Proactively monitors call volume and VISN Clinical Contact Center Pharmacy Technician performance through Automatic Call Distribution(ACD) metrics to identify personnel that may require further development and to determine where resources are needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, Rotational Shift Schedule Range 6:00am to 9:00pm (PST) including nights, weekends, and Holidays
Telework: Eligible. However, this position is remote eligible and is currently exempted from return to office (RTO) requirements. Remote exempted positions are reviewed annually and DOES NOT imply permanent remote work status. This position may be required to report to an office within the HSA 5.3 catchment area. Selected VHA employee must be located (or willing to relocate at your own expense) within 50-mile radius of a VA Facility within the HSA 5.3 (Legacy VISN 22) catchment area: Albuquerque, NM; Greater Los Angeles, CA; Loma Linda, CA; Long Beach, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Prescott, AZ; San Diego, CA; Tucson, AZ
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.

• Education or Experience:
  • Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and demonstrate the KSAs below
  • 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).
  • 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). 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:(1) 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.(2) 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.(3) 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.(4) 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.(5) 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:

Experience: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower 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:

• PTCB as a CPhT.
• 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:

(a) 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.
(b) Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures.
(c) Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy.

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. Lead pharmacy technicians perform duties independently, which consist of significant scope and complexity and will assist with technician oversight. Lead pharmacy technicians lead three GS-07 or more pharmacy technicians/employees/staff members, provide direction for daily operations and assume responsibility for integrating and monitoring standard pharmacy policies to maintain continuous workflow and quality within the service. Lead pharmacy technicians must do a combination of at least three of the following duties: prepare work schedules and assign tasks to ensure timely completion of duties; ensure pharmacy resources are in optimal working condition and address workflow needs; provide guidance and support of the work unit in supervisory absence; train personnel (including students) in methods, procedures and use of equipment and instruments specific to the assigned area; provide input to supervisor on performance and training needs of employees; adjust work assignments due to absences, emergencies or changes in priorities; resolve simple informal complaints of employees and patients, refer more difficult problems to the supervisor; or recommend approval and/or disapproval of leave requests.

Preferred Experience: Two (2) years of team lead/management experience

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.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily of a sedentary nature however it may involve prolonged standing and/or walking.

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.

Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current Permanent Legacy VISN 22 Employees within the Catchment Area;
2. Current Permanent Veterans Health Administration employees within the Catchment Area.
3. All other applicants within the Catchment Area.


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.