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Pharmacy Technician

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Clinical Pharmacy Technician will provide administrative, clerical and basic clinical support to the clinical pharmacy section of Pharmacy Division at the Fayetteville, NC VA Medical Center. The incumbent will apply their knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/28/2025 to 06/09/2025
Salary
$59,571 to - $77,447 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Fayetteville, NC
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTA-12737852-25-KL
Control number
837697200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is open only to current, full-time employees of the Fayetteville, NC VA Medical Center.

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Duties

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The incumbent works under the direction of the clinical pharmacy section supervisor who outlines assignments and priorities and also the pharmacists who oversee daily activities and projects. Duties will include, but are not limited to:

  • Clinical: Incumbent will provide clinic support through performing basic laboratory functions, appointment scheduling, communicating with patients via telephone, faxing and mailing, preparation of teaching materials and filing.
  • Inpatient and Outpatient: Incumbent will perform processing and filling of outpatient prescriptions for scheduled and non-scheduled federal legend drugs and medical devices.
  • Sterile Compounding: Through use of aseptic technique, responsible for the preparation of pharmaceuticals for parenteral administration; advanced technical working knowledge of various administration routes for various parenteral pharmaceuticals and the special preparation considerations that must be taken into account in their preparation.
  • Controlled Substances: Fills and dispenses prescriptions for controlled substances for both Inpatient and Outpatient customers.
  • Procurement and Stock Maintenance: Performs duties associated with stocking of medications and supplies, to include rotation of stock, checking for and pulling of outdated/expired medications and supply items, cleaning and maintenance of stock shelves and areas.
  • Customer Service: Incumbent has contact and collaborates with employees, co-workers in the pharmacy, medical staff, nursing staff, and other health care providers at the facility, vendors and their support staff or representatives, patients, care givers, and the public in order to obtain information and solve problems, take or give direction.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 0800-1630.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: GS-0661-07

Requirements

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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.
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • 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 dentification 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).
  • Normal ranges of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color. An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Employees must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used on the job. Employees may be required to work at various pharmacy locations as assigned.

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. ยง 7403(f).
  • Certification. For positions above the GS-06 full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification.
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 Grade Determination:
  • Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower GS-06 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: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) NHA as a ExCPT.
  • Assignments. 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.
  • 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
Preferred Experience: Leadership, Advanced Pharmacy Technician skills, Clinical job duty knowledge

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

Physical Requirements: Principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g., preparing IV admixtures, use of a computer keyboard, etc.). May require lifting and carrying light loads (up to 44lbs.), including boxes, equipment, unit dose-cassettes, and IV solutions; stooping or kneeling (e.g., to pick up items from the floor, remove and replace items on lower shelves, and to file documents in lower file drawers, etc.); sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours).

Work Environment: Work is performed in patient care, office and storage areas of the facility. Work areas are adequately heated and lighted. Potential exists for: exposure to infectious patients or materials; exposure to hazardous and toxic substances including but not limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy, solvents, grease, oils, and cleaning solutions; sticks or cuts from hypodermic needles, lancets or other sharp items.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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.

Resume Reminder- To be considered, your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

  • Job Title & Duties (be as detailed as possible)
  • Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2017 to April 2018)
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
  • Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

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.

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