The certified pharmacy technician procurement/inventory at the GS-9 level is responsible for assisting in the oversight for all prescription and nonprescription medications and supply purchasing and inventory in a highly complex area of Pharmacy Service.
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. (1) None required. 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). Grade Determinations: (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. For positions 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 (2) National Health career 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. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by38 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). Grade Determinations: Pharmacy Technician, GS-09. (1) Experience. One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade level. (2) 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 (3) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: (a) Expert knowledge serving as a key resource advising others in their particular specialty area or section of the pharmacy (such as procurement, sterile compounding (USP compounding standards), controlled substances DEA, automation, clinical pharmacy, lead tech, contact center, etc.). (b) Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports. (c) Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area. (d) Ability to maintain special accreditations and prepare for national reviews/inspections (e.g., The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health System Pharmacists®, controlled substance inspections). (e) Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area. (4) 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 grade level may be appointed to one of the following assignments. (a) Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory). Pharmacy technicians (procurement/inventory) at this level require independent technical judgement and expertise. They serve as the lead ordering officer for pharmacy service, providing guidance to lower-level procurement ordering officers. These individuals have extensive knowledge of VA policy concerning drug procurement, security and compliance with ordering officer requirements and regulatory areas (including, but not limited to, Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) per FDA regulations, recalls, return goods, open market, drug accountability, etc.). Pharmacy technicians maintain all records of pharmacy inventory for drug accountability, DSCSA per VHA policy and all other Federal regulations. Pharmacy technicians (procurement/inventory) perform a wide range of duties providing oversight on all pharmacy inventory to ensure standard operating procedures are followed and appropriate ordering and stock levels are maintained so patient care is not impaired. They stay within budgetary requirements, comply with contracts while maintaining inventory to meet or exceed the national average performance. They are accountable for pharmacy inventory management in areas such as regulatory and VHA formulary requirements, quality standards and official VA policies/procedures within the inventory management specialized area, conforming to pharmacy legal and professional requirements. ii Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). (A) Knowledge of pharmaceutical and supply inventory requirements to ensure compliance with regulations and national/audit/inspections (e.g., financial regulations, The Joint Commission, Inspector General, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists®, DEA, USP 797/800, FDA 503A/B). (B) Knowledge of clinical specifications, characteristics and ordering processes of a wide variety of soft prosthetics and supply items (e.g., catheters, colostomy, ileostomy and urostomy supply and associated products) that technicians procure to dispense to Veterans in the outpatient pharmacy setting. (C) Skill in managing specialized programs related to inventory including, but not limited to, specialty medications and supplies, All Hazards Emergency Cache Program, recalls, reverse distribution and pharmaceutical waste 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-9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.
Major Duties Administrative: 1. Analyzes and reassess priorities to ensure workload demands are accomplished in the most effective, efficient, and economic manner. 2. Evaluates pharmacy activities to assist pharmacy managers in obtaining short- and long-range goals and objectives. 3. Assists pharmacy managers in identifying areas of effort duplication and developing solutions to streamline processes. 4. Reports potential and/or actual medication errors. 5. Knowledgeable in and ensures other procurement staff follow all department, pharmacy service, station level, VISN, National, VHA, and DEA policies, and procedures. 6. Demonstrates efforts to improve patient satisfaction, lower costs, and improve quality and timeliness. 7. Maintains accurate pharmaceutical inventory data in pharmacy automation systems (e.g., Script Pro Inventory Manager, Pyxis Logistics, Vist A). 8. Runs reports and analyzes data from pharmacy automation systems to optimize inventory management and maximize turn rates. 9. Maintains continuous oversight on the security of pharmacy inventory and storage areas and reports inconsistencies or concerns. Pharmaceutical Purchasing and Distribution: 1. Serves as a lead ordering officer for pharmacy service, delegated by the VA National Acquisition Center (NAC). 2. Trains new procurement staff on department standard operating procedures and provides oversight to ensure competencies are met. Re-trains staff as dictated. 3. Initiates ordering requirements and provides guidance to ordering officers for pharmaceuticals, specialty drugs, and supply items through pharmacy prime vendors multi complex accounts or other sources using various methods of payment. Responsible for adherence to federal contracts and compliance with federal regulations regarding open market, ensuring inventory control through perpetual evaluation. 4. Provides oversight in determining ordering intervals and stock levels appropriate to meet changes in formulary, brand to AB rated generic drugs, contract changes, conversions, new drug indications including backorders and seasonal changes. 5. Incumbent may be required to obtain the necessary certification to order narcotic medications through pharmacy prime vendor. 6. Purchases using National contracts (NAT), Federal supply schedules (FSS), Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) and open market etc. to ensure compliance with federal acquisition regulations, and policy, 7. Processes receipt of inventory for the purpose of drug accountability or other inventory management system. 8. Utilizes government issued credit cards for micro purchase limits with understanding of when to use while maintaining required proper documentation, and reconciliation of receipt of all orders. 9. Uploads and maintains proper 3T documentation for the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) per the FDA requirements. 10. Maintains all records of pharmacy inventory for DSCSA accountability for auditing purposes. 11. Provides oversight in the removal of expired medications from stock, isolates, and processes them for safe removal through reverse distribution or wastage according to VHA Directives and standard operating procedures. 12. Processes outdated, unusable, and excess inventory for return to respective manufacturers for replacement of usable formulary items or credit. Maintains an internal inventory list for accountability, removal and tracking which involves numerous different manufacturers. 13. Develops the loan and borrow standard operating procedures for within and outside of VA. Maintains proper documentation as per the DSCSA requirements.1 14. Maintains a clean working environment and determines when shelf labels need to be updated for contract compliance. 15. Maintains advanced knowledge of principles, policies, and state and federal laws and regulations related to controlled substances. 16. Maintains proper credentials to order narcotic and non-narcotic controlled substances. 17. Assists with the All-Hazards Emergency Cache replenishment procedures per VHA Directive 1047, All-Hazards Emergency Cache Program, if applicable. 18. Possesses advanced technical working knowledge and follows established policies and procedures of usage rates, stock levels, inventory maintenance concepts including just-in-time inventory. 19. Possesses advanced technical knowledge of all aspects of drug characteristics and nomenclature for procurement and stock maintenance. 20. Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution and supply issues. 21. Coordinates with providers and patients on specialty medications and/or supply items. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 0730-1600 Telework: ADHOC as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 40369-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized