The Chemotherapy/IV Pharmacy Technician is the technician specialist in the area of sterile product preparation of chemotherapeutic and dispensing investigational drug agents. Incumbent functions in the Pharmacy Oncology Area and central I.V. admixture rooms of pharmacy service, with secondary responsibilities as a staff technician in any area of pharmacy service
BASIC REQUIREMENTS a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) b. Education or Experience. A high school diploma or equivalent; or at least 3 months experience. c. Certification. Certification by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is required at grades GS-6 and above. d. Loss of Credential. An employee in this occupation who fails to obtain licensure/certification/registration within the required time frame, or who fails to maintain the required licensure/certification/registration must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) at all grades. levels, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation for which he/she qualifies if a placement opportunity exists. For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) in assignments above the full-performance level only, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may remain at an appropriate lower grade level in the occupation when both of the following apply: the credential is not a requirement, and a placement opportunity exists. e. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. f. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy technicians appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. GRADE REQUIREMENTS a. Definitions (1) Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice. (2) Quality of Experience. To be creditable, pharmacy technician experience must be documented on the application and verified in an employment reference, or through other independent means. (3) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a pharmacy technician is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a pharmacy technician would receive 1 week of fulltime credit for each 2 weeks of half-time work. (4) Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-8 (a) Experience. One year experience at the next lower level and must fully meet the KSAs at the next lower level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs: (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (a) Comprehensive knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology and policies in a specialized area or section of pharmacy (sterile compounding.) (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. (c) 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 have a higher level of responsibility for specialized areas of pharmacy and are expected to independently carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level may be appointed to one of the following assignments: Pharmacy Technician. Pharmacy technicians in this assignment specialize in areas such as sterile compounding, oncology, controlled substances, medication history review, clinical specialist (anticoagulation, pain, infectious diseases), clinical informatics, automation, immunizations and any other specialized area in the advancement of the profession. The pharmacy technician will serve as a subject matter expert and key resource in the day-to-day technician duties of the specialized area. The technician will be performing assignments such as compounding sterile products, filling controlled substance prescriptions while maintaining compliance with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations, taking medication histories and counseling patients, managing automation, managing workflow and training and orienting staff in the specialized area. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G - 28 for Pharmacy Technician Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is 8. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws The Chemotherapy/IV Pharmacy Technician is a highly specialized technician who, under the authority of the Associate Chief of Pharmacy, the Pharmacy Technician Supervisor, and Staff Pharmacist is responsible to assure compounded sterile preparations (CSPs) are correctly purified, sterilized, packaged, sealed, labeled (including assignment of appropriate beyond-use date [BUD]), stored, and distributed. This position requires that the Chemotherapy/IV Pharmacy Technician demonstrates a concerned and critical attitude toward accuracy and strict adherence to USP <797> and USP <800> guidelines and IV Room Pharmacy policy and procedure, including quality assurance. The Chemotherapy/IV Pharmacy Technician also acts as a representative of the Pharmacy Service in a variety of Pharmacy related functions within the Healthcare System. The incumbent will be trained and expected to function and maintain competency in other areas of Pharmacy Service, including both Clinic areas and Outpatient areas, as needed and assigned. In addition, and as deemed necessary by either the Associate Chief of Pharmacy or the Pharmacy Technician Supervisor(s), the incumbent may assist in other patient care areas, as needed, to maintain the consistency of overall Pharmacy services. Functions, Assigned Duties, and Responsibilities - Receiving, reviewing and preparing physician's orders for intravenous drugs, IVs premeditation and cytotoxic drug agents. - Contacting and obtaining clarification from physician on any questionable dosages or combinations when necessary to ensure quality of care. The incumbent brings questionable prescriptions/orders or any situation that present a possible hazard to patient care to the attention of a pharmacist for resolution. - Performing accurate product selection, dosage calculations and compounding of agents utilizing available resources package literature, written procedural guidelines and application of specialized knowledge. - Generating of proper product identification labeling and assigning accurate stability and handling information. Includes any additional information to ensure safety and efficacy to the patient and other handlers of the product. - Insuring, upon completion filling the prescription/medication order, the incumbent contacts the assigned pharmacist for final check and then delivers prepared products to the wards, clinics or other designated areas. - Communicating regularly with nursing staff on wards and in clinic areas regarding treatments and administration times of doses to ensure quality of care and reduce waste. - Maintaining a daily perpetual log of prepared products to track actual drug usage and workload for data compilation. Stocking and maintaining both IV room and chemo Pharmacy Service preparation area(s), reviewing anticipated inventory needs and notifying the procurement technicians in a timely manner of products required. - Ensuring that both IV room and Chemo Pharmacy Service preparation area(s) and equipment stored there are clean, maintained and in good working order, communicating any needs to the appropriate supervisor or service. - Assisting with training of pharmacy staff and students in safe and aseptic handling techniques within the area and proper methods used the dispensing and recording of research prescriptions Other Significant Facts: To carry out the assignment of this position, the technician must possess above average technique in sterile product preparation, a thorough understanding of the principles of two types of laminar flow hoods, and a knowledge base of antineoplastic agents, cytotoxic agents and the additional precautions necessary with the handling of these products. In addition, the technician must have knowledge of medical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations and physician order interpretation. Incumbent must exercise great attention to detail and accuracy due to the highly technical nature of the work and the potential hazards of products handled. Incumbent must possess good communication skills, remaining patient, polite and courteous, as interactions with physicians, nurses, patients and other medical center personnel is frequent. The above list is not all inclusive Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am -4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required