Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient/Outpatient

About the role

Pharmacy Technician is assigned clinical duties and rotating through assignments in both inpatient and outpatient pharmacy. Responsibility for more complex functions within pharmacy service including inpatient medication preparation and distribution, sterile intravenous admixture preparation, automated equipment use and maintenance, filling of outpatient controlled substances in preparation for pharmacist verification, mail order reject assessment, and other complex duties.

Responsibilities

• Solves pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
• Trains developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
• Dispenses medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
• Troubleshoots automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.
• Interprets, fills, and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and or medical supplies for pharmacist verification.
• Maintains work areas in a clean and orderly condition by assuring that all stock and equipment are in assigned places and all shelves and counters are free of dust and debris in order to create optimal work areas.
• Assures drugs and supplies are appropriately stored and secured according to USP and VA guidelines, including the storage of high-risk, look a-like sound a-like, hazardous, controlled substances, corrosive chemical, flammable liquids, and refrigerated items.
• Receives, checks, rotates, and places in stock all items received from pharmacy procurement section and identifies and reconciles any discrepancies to assure correct items have been received.
• Utilizes automation dispensing equipment available to the pharmacy staff following all safety and QA procedures.
• Reports automation malfunctions timely the supervisor as appropriate.
• Records expiration dates in the automatic prescription dispensing system upon receipt.
• Completes monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and soon to expired drugs are removed.
• Completes inspection reports in compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile).
• Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems.
• Assists in training and orientation of new staff technicians, interns, and students.
• Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members.
• Demonstrates the ability to work under a variety of circumstances to maximize group productivity and quality.
• Performs duties of all lower grade technicians as needed.
• Participates in performance improvement initiatives for pharmacy.
• Assists in quality improvement activities by participating in assessment and action teams that will improve service as assigned.
• Completes all National, VISN, local, and Pharmacy mandatory trainings in a timely manner.
• Fulfills USP 797/800 Guidelines for the compounding of all sterile preparations, hazardous, large & small volume IV solutions, PCAs, etc.
• Manufactures uncomplicated and/or complicated parenteral admixtures to be delivered in the form of large volume, small volume, infusion syringe or other as required.
• Interprets physician orders, selects, and measures appropriate ingredients, mixes ingredients in a safe and effective manner, inspects the final product for accuracy, suitability, and elegance, labels the product, maintains records of the manufacturing process, and supplies the product for pharmacist verification and delivery.
• Uses standard protocols to determine an accurate expiration date for each batch prepared.

Requirements

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. If you are a current and permanent VHA employee or federal employee, please consider applying to our internal announcement CBSU-13002115-26-CJ

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements:
  • United States Citizenship
  • English Language Proficiency
• 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
  • For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:
  • National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT).
  • PTCB as a CPhT.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
  • (a) Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work.
  • (b) Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent.
  • (c) Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers.
  • (d) Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students.
  • (e) Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution.
  • (f) Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases.