The Clinical Pharmacy Technician position functions primarily as the technical expert for the Pharmacy managed clinics within the Pharmacy Service Clinical Section and is a certified pharmacy technician with advanced skills who will provide administrative, clerical, and clinical support to the Clinical Pharmacy leadership and to all Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPP). The incumbent must have expert understanding and advanced knowledge of the complexities of Pharmacy managed clinics.
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. Education or Experience: None required. Certification: 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). English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). 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). Creditable Experience. To be creditable, a candidate must possess the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice. The candidate's experience must be evidenced by active professional practice. (Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional pharmacy technician.) General Experience. (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service under close medical and professional supervision is creditable on a month-for-month basis for general experience. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of half-time work. Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy technician experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Specialized Experience. Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position and is typically in, or related to, the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants who have one year of appropriate specialized experience are not required to have general experience, education above the high school level or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements. Successful completion of pertinent specialized training courses in pharmaceutical and pharmacy practices while serving in the Armed Forces is creditable on a month-for-month basis up to the one year of specialized experience. Grade Determinations: GS-08 Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-07. Examples of experience include: work autonomously using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties; mentor and train lower graded pharmacy technicians in the practice setting; assist advanced/specialized pharmacy technicians and participate in performance improvement initiatives; use independent judgement to perform the full range of duties in the pharmacy; function as staff pharmacy technicians in various locations of the pharmacy, including pharmacy contact centers and other non-traditional pharmacy locations, with minimal oversight. Candidates must also demonstrate the KSAs below. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs for all GS-08 assignments: (a) 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.) (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. 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. 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: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time, typing, walking distances within the medical center, lifting/ carrying (up to 40 pounds) of pharmaceutical supplies, and bending/stooping/stretching. Position requires the ability to read fine print on labels, depth perceptions, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid permitted), clear speech, and emotional stability.
Major duties include, but are not limited to: Administrative Support Performs administrative/continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities as assigned and/or directed by supervisor or Chief of Pharmacy Service. Receives and directs patient telephone calls, clinic voicemail, and face to face contacts for pharmacy-managed clinics. Collects patient information, and, when appropriate, answers routine inquiries regarding administrative and technical issues; refers more complicated, non-routine clinical questions to appropriate clinical staff. Maintains office files and record systems. Ensures clinic rooms are adequately stocked with ancillary testing supplies, patient education materials, demo kits and supplies. Attends meetings, records, and publishes minutes as needed. Assists with release of information process when transferring patients back and forth from non-VA local provider, especially for, but not limited to, those patients undergoing procedures requiring communication with local providers (this includes the ability to scan documents into patient's medical charts, as appropriate). Assists in gathering and reviewing patient data for quality management reviews. Clinical Pharmacy Support Reviews all encounters daily and notify CPP for completion. Reviews all unsigned notes and notify CPP for completion. Reviews performance improvement dashboards which include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and anticoagulation, etc. and reports to the Clinical Pharmacy Supervisor. Obtains medication histories from patients and summarizes significant findings in the medical record and/or to the clinical pharmacy practitioner as appropriate. Monitors for and reports drug errors, adverse drug reactions, allergies, and patient compliance issues. Documents findings per facility procedures. Able to apply knowledge of normal laboratory values in the evaluation of patient care and recognize significant abnormalities. Assists with medication use evaluations and other Pharmacy and Therapeutics activities on behalf of national, VISN, and local medical center initiatives as needed. Promotes and monitors compliance for established drug therapy policies. Works with providers to ensure compliance with national, regional, and local initiatives. Performs drug conversions and assists with drug shortages when needed. Orders, performs, reviews, and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests and other diagnostic studies necessary to monitor and support the patient's drug therapy. Follows-up with clinical pharmacy specialists on lab or test results to discuss the plan of therapy. Technical Support Reviews all pharmacy managed care clinics with the appropriate CPP and the Clinical Pharmacy Supervisor to update and restructure as necessary. Enters all LEAF requests for all modifications to pharmacy clinics. Enters all LEAF requests for all clinic closures to pharmacy clinics. Acts as a resource person for planning, reviewing, or revising clinical pharmacy policies and/or procedures. Scheduling Duties Provides clinical activities as assigned in accordance with Pharmacy Service Guidelines, policies, and protocols for pharmacy- managed clinics. Assists with reviewing and scheduling new patient referrals for pharmacy-managed clinics, or when HAS support is unavailable for PACT. Assists with scheduling and re-scheduling patients when HAS support is unavailable. Patients with emergent or urgent medical needs must be provided care or be scheduled to receive care as soon as practicable, independent of service-connected (SC status and whether care is purchased or provided directly by the VA) Schedules appointment in accordance with current VHA national guidelines. Education Educates non-pharmacy personnel and patients regarding Pharmacy Service's procedures, policies, and processes. Serves as preceptor for pharmacy technician, students as appropriate. Assists with and helps conduct the training, orientation, retraining, and documentation of training of employees to Pharmacy Service policies and procedures. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available Telework: Ad-hoc may be approved at supervisory discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:93100-A