Pharmacy Technician - U.S. Department of State - Augusta, ME

Job Title: Pharmacy Technician

Department: Department Of Veterans Affairs

Agency: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

Job Announcement Number: VHA-402-15-SL-1496164-BU SALARY RANGE: $35,609.00

to

$46,294.00

/ Per Year OPEN PERIOD: Thursday, September 3, 2015 to

Thursday, September 24, 2015 SERIES & GRADE: GS-0661-06 POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time –

Permanent PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 06 DUTY LOCATIONS: 1 vacancy in the following location:

Augusta, ME View Map

WHO MAY APPLY: United States Citizens SECURITY CLEARANCE: Other SUPERVISORY STATUS: No JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1496164

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s

promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his

widow, and his orphan” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are

America’s Veterans.

The

VA Maine Healthcare System is seeking a Pharmacy Technician to process and fill

prescriptions, operate and maintain dispensing equipment, use the

Pharmacy and VA information systems, maintains files and prepare sterile

compounds under supervision. This position is under the Pharmacy Service Line. We are an employer of choice and a

center of excellence in patient care, education and research. We value Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy,

Respect and Excellence. We value you.

A s a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With

many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of

opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. Not only is it the

largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the

Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the

Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries. VA professionals feel good

about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers

generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling

opportunities. For more information on

the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/ .

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.

Relocation

Expenses and Recruitment/Relocation incentives are not authorized for this

position.

TRAVEL REQUIRED

Not Required RELOCATION AUTHORIZED

No KEY REQUIREMENTS

U. S. Citizenship.

Must pass pre-employment examination.

English Language Proficiency required.

Designated and-or Random Drug Testing required.

Background and-or Security Investigation required.

Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. DUTIES:

DUTIES: The incumbent may be assigned to one or a combination of the following duties, but not limited to:

Outpatient

• Checks new prescription label for accuracy and affixes prescription and auxiliary labels to container. Sends filled prescriptions to pharmacist for verification/check.


• Counts or pours correct amount of medication and prepackages medication into appropriate container.


• Completes prescription control document including manufacturer, lot number, date filled, initials of technician and other information necessary to clarify the prescription document.


• Determines patient eligibility from computer data. Updates patient information within the computer system.


• Performs a variety of bulk compounding including, but not limited to ointments, lotions, solutions, etc. Uses a variety of pharmaceutical equipment. Refers to master formula cards for preparation instructions. Reports any unusual occurrence, i.e., color or consistency change, to pharmacist and makes adjustments accordingly.


• Files, on a daily basis, all prescription and computer generated documents in an accurate and complete manner to allow for immediate retrieval.


• Maintains cleanliness and orderliness of pharmacy by cleaning of glassware, spatulas, bottles, shelves, counters, cabinets and all other items or areas associated with prescription processing.


• Notifies pharmacy procurement technician if levels appear to be inappropriate (i.e., too low, too high, out of stock).


• Deals appropriately with direct and telephone inquiries from patients, Medical Center staff and others referring any unanswerable questions concerning professional practice to a pharmacist.


• Verifies patient identification via identification card or inpatient bracelet when dispensing medication at pharmacy window. Correctly matches patient’s stated address to their address documented on package of medication dispensed.


• Is familiar with pharmacy automated equipment and able to perform routine care and operation if needed.

Inpatient

• Pickup of ward replenishment orders for processing of all wards and the delivery back to these wards on scheduled days.


• Distribution of narcotics and controlled drugs to respective wards and automated dispensing equipment.


• Maintenance of proper stock levels; notification to procurement technician when levels are inappropriate; rotating stock and checking assigned areas for outdated stock.


• Filling of extemporaneous orders presented to Pharmacy Service by hospital personnel and charging items in computer system.


• I.V. Room Duties: Must be able to prepare IV solutions and doses with supervision in an aseptic manner.


• Unit-Dose Duties: Incumbent will compile pick-lists using the computer system and upon completion of compilation, send pick-list to the automated medication counter for processing. S/he will then fill individual patient cassettes from the pick-list. After having the cassettes checked for accuracy by a pharmacist or approved certified technician, they will be delivered to wards according to posted schedules. Upon return to the pharmacy, the technician will be responsible for crediting any returns into the computer system. Incumbent will be responsible for pre-packing unit dose drugs. Com­plet­ed pick-lists are filed in computer system.


• S/he will be able to complet­e the monthly pharmacy and ward inspections.

WORK SCHEDULE:
Monday –

Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm, 8:00am to 4:30pm, 9:00am to 5:30pm; Saturday/Sunday/Holidays

7:00am to 3:00pm rotating.

Functional Statement Title/#: Pharmacy Technician

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Citizenship. C itizen

of the United States.

Certification. Certification by the

National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is required at grades

GS-6 and above.

English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy technicians

appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and

written English.

Preferred Experience: Inpatient and

outpatient experience including: work in IV Room; aseptic training, handling/disposing

hazardous drugs, handling sterile products, calculating appropriate volumes to

provide accurate dosing; and demonstrating technical knowledge and ability to

performing more highly complex duties including preparation of oncology agents.

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.

GRADE DETERMINATIONS:
GS-6

Experience. One year experience at the next lower level

GS-5 performing inpatient/outpatient technical duties, and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level . Experience includes ability to operate and

care for automated dispensing devices and equipment; knowledge of, and ability

to perform, aseptic technique; knowledge of basic inventory procedures; and

knowledge of pharmacy information. Part-time experience as a pharmacy technician

is credited according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For

example, a pharmacy technician would receive 1 week of full-time credit for

each 2 weeks of half-time work. To be creditable, pharmacy technician

experience must be documented on the application and verified in an employment

reference, or through other independent means.

In addition, the candidate must

demonstrate the following technical KSAs:
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

–

Ability to solve problems and make

recommendations, e.g., troubleshoot operational problems and refer for

appropriate action.

–

Knowledge of the operation and care of

automated equipment.

–

Knowledge of, and ability to follow,

written instructions for compounding with aseptic technique for hazardous

materials such as oncology agents.

–

Knowledge, and ability to perform,

compounding with aseptic technique for routine sterile products.

–

Knowledge of policies and procedures for

inventory management in specialized areas such as emergency carts.

–

Knowledge of the computerized prescription

process demonstrated by the ability to input prescriptions and medication

orders.

References : VA Handbook 5005/23, Part II, Appendix

G28, PHARMACY TECHNICIAN Qualification Standard GS-0661, VA Handbook 5003/53

Part II, Appendix G28 , dated March

2006. http://www.va.gov/ohrm/joblistings/VAQualStds.doc .

T his can be found

in the local Human Resources Office.

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.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing for prolonged periods of time, walking, lift­ing/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 50 lb., and bending/stooping.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT

MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Your

application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please

follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration

for employment.

NOTE: The Professional

Standards Board (a peer-review group) will review the selected candidate’s

education and experience and recommend the grade and salary at which the

candidate will be placed. For internal

selectees eligible for promotion, the board will determine grade and HR will

determine step in accordance with policy.

BENEFITS: VA offers a comprehensive benefits package. This link provides is an overview of the

benefits currently offered: http://www.vacareers.va.gov/why-choose-va/benefits/index.asp .

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

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

HOW TO APPLY:
All applicants

are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents

section below.

The complete

application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Thursday, September 24, 2015 to

receive consideration.

1. To

begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your

existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other

supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click

Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE : It is your responsibility to

ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the

closing date.

To verify your

application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login , select the Application Status link and then

select the more information link for this position. The Details page will

display the status of your application, the documentation received and

processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this

application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the

virus scan process.

To return to an

incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update

Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume

and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be

incomplete.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
1. CV or

Resume (required).

2. VA Form

10-2850c – Application for Associated Health Occupations (Available at

http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf ) (required).

3. OF Form 306 – Declaration for Federal Employment

(Available

at http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf (required).

4. Occupational

Questionnaire (required).

5. If prior military service, include

all copies of your DD Forms 214 or proof of service (required). Applicants

claiming preference based on service-connected disability, or based on being

the spouse or mother of a disabled or deceased Veteran, must also complete and

submit an SF 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (available at http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf ).

6. If currently employed in the federal

system, include latest SF-50 – Notification of Personnel Action (required).

7. You must show proof of National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) for this position.

Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your

application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference

claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will

not be contacted for additional information.

Veterans’ Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim

preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and

provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your

active duty service which shows dates of service, character of service

(honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others

eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible

Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 “Application for 10 Point Veterans

Preference” with required proof as stated on the form. For more

information, please review the information for disabled Veterans in the

application checklist or visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online.

Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your

application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your

supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located

at the following site: Fax Options . The Vacancy ID of the job

opportunity announcement is 1496164.

NOTE : If you applied online and your

application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this

will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found

ineligible. AGENCY CONTACT INFO: Stephanie Landry

Phone: (207)623-8411×4119

Email: STEPHANIE.LANDRY@VA.GOV

Agency Information:
VHA Togus VAMC

Department of Veterans Affairs

1 VA Center

Augusta,

ME

04330 WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
After we receive application packages (including all required

documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to

ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and

application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust

your rating accordingly. After the

review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be

notified of their status by email (if provided); otherwise, applicants will

receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service. Referred applicants will be notified as such

and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final

notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging

into your USAJOBS account and clicking on “Application Status.” For a more detailed update of your status,

click on “more information.” Information

regarding applicant

notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.