Pharmacy Technician

Description:

The certified pharmacy Technician at the GS-8 level serves as the Controlled Substance Pharmacy technician, is responsible for the first line management of all controlled substances handled by the pharmacy at the Bay Pines VAHCS.

Requirements:

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 .

1. None required.
2. 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-Documentation Submitted. 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).

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

Grade Determinations:

Pharmacy Technician, GS-08: Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level and demonstrate the KSAs below. Pharmacy technicians at this level have a higher level of responsibility for specialized areas of pharmacy and are expected to independently carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs :

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

Certification-Documentation Submitted. 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

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: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over), Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds), Light lifting (under 15 pounds), Heavy carrying (45 pounds and over), Moderate carrying (15-44 pounds), Light carrying (under 15 pounds), Straight pulling (2 hours), Pushing, Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, Both hands required, Walking (up to 4 hours), Standing (prolonged), Repeated bending, Climbing, use of legs and arms (infrequent), Operation of motor vehicle, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, Specific visual requirement (Ability to read fine print on labels), Depth perception, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Hearing (aid permitted), Clear Speech, Emotional Stability, Good Dexterity. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for additional information.