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Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration- V6 Salem VA Health Care System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This role supports the Pharmacy Service Line - Inpatient areas of the Salem VA Medical Center, serving adult and elderly Veterans 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The Pharmacy Technician read and processes medication orders, ensures the correct dose and medication are prepared, and works closely with the Pharmacist to package and deliver prescriptions. Duties include inventory, stocking, sterile compounding, controlled substance handling and maintaining accuracy under general supervision.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
07/03/2025 to 07/14/2025
Salary
$58,368 to - $75,883 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Salem, VA
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-12758411-25-KRE
Control number
840056800

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This position is being filled using U.S. Code 38 U.S.C. ยง 7412 which waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to external applicants for appointments made to shortage occupations.

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Duties

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

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major Duties to Include:

  • Automatic Replenishment/Ward Stock
    • Accurately fills prescription items for wards using Automatic Replenishment reports.
    • Performs and documents an inspection of assigned hospital areas for medication storage. Removes all expired and deteriorated drugs from the automated dispensing stations, stocks shelves and the unit dose automated dispensing systems.
  • Unit Dose Medication Management
    • Inventories and replenishes emergency trays/kits/boxes.
    • Assures repackaged dosage forms are labeled according to USP and VA standards and attains a final review by a pharmacist.
  • Controlled Substances Activities
    • Appropriately restocks controlled substance items in automated dispensing cabinets throughout medical center, as assigned.
  • Sterile Product Compounding
    • Correctly interprets physician orders, selects and measures appropriate ingredients, mixes ingredients in a safe and effective manner, inspects the final product for accuracy, suitability and elegance, labels the product, maintains records of the compounding process, and supplies the product for pharmacist verification and delivery
  • Medication Management System:
    • Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment such as unit dose prepackaging machines, automatic dispensing machines, IV compounding machines and other pharmacy devices. Able to troubleshoot the equipment and the technology platforms/databases.
    • Functions as first-line telephone contact for nursing units, nurses and providers. Addresses telephone requests in a timely and courteous fashion, processing, for example missing doses, stat deliveries, etc.
Work Schedule: Full Time- Rotating Shifts to include days, evenings, weekends and holidays
Compressed: Available
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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 Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 trial 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).

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.
  • Certification: For position 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 Health career 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: A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and certification 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
  • Experience: Candidates must possess one year (1) of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-06). Pharmacy technicians at the full performance level may fill orders, dispense/deliver medications using automated systems or provide technical customer service to Veterans related to prescription needs. Duties will include delivery of medications to floor/patients, filling medications for the pharmacist to review, checking for expired medications, answering phones with appropriate disposition, preparing sterile products (when applicable) and assisting with basic inventory management such as putting up stock and identifying when medications need to be ordered.
  • Certification: For position 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.
  • GS-7 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience for the GS-07 level, candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
    • Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.
    • Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
    • Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
    • Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
    • Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
    • Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.
Preferred Experience: 1 -3 years inpatient pharmacy experience.

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

Physical Requirements: This position provides services to patients and their families. Incumbents must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Normal work of the position requires visual acuity (with the ability to read typewritten characters without strain, corrective lenses permitted), keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, manual dexterity. This position may require reaching above shoulder-level height and requires potentially moderate levels of lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds). This position requires long periods of sitting, standing and walking. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs

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

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.

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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