RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE MAY BE AUTHORIZED FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATE. The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This position functions primarily in Pharmacy Service and the patient care areas within the VA Health Care System. As an employee, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/30/2025. Pharmacy Technician 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. (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: (1) Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). OR (2) National Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT). Grandfathering Provision: Pharmacy technicians employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. (3) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (4) Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. (5) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. 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. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. English Language Proficiency: Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Requirements GS-7 Pharmacy Technician Experience Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the GS-07 level. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). The candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of pharmacy technician principles, practices, concepts and theories providing for sound independent work. Knowledge of the computerized prescription process and input of prescriptions and medication orders or electronic equivalent. Ability to resolve pharmacy/medication issues with other members of the healthcare team, Veterans and external customers. Ability to train developmental pharmacy technicians and students. Ability to dispense medication or sterile products following all regulations, policies and procedures to ensure safe medication distribution. Ability to troubleshoot automated dispensing equipment (ADE) or technology platforms/databases. -AND- GS-8 Pharmacy Technician Experience Requirement: Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-7). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs: 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.) Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. Ability to evaluate, analyze and coordinate workflow and work activities within a specialized area or section of the pharmacy. 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 5005/15, Part II, Appendix G28 The full performance level of this vacancy is 8. Physical Requirements: Principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers (e.g., preparing IV admixtures, use of a computer keyboard, etc.). May require lifting and carrying light loads (up to 44lbs.), including boxes, equipment, unit dose-cassettes, and IV solutions; stooping or kneeling (e.g., to pick up items from the floor, remove and replace items on lower shelves, and to file documents in lower file drawers, etc.); sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours). Normal ranges of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and shades of color. An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. ["VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws Pharmacy Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Pharmacy-Technician-Career-Flyer.pdf Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf The incumbent is responsible for inventory management and procurement of drug products and pharmaceutical supplies as well as all activities relative to the IV rooms for the Fargo VAHCS. They also perform the functions of a pharmacy technician. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Responsible for all ongoing inventories of drug products and pharmaceutical supplies and their procurement relative to the IV rooms. Utilize basic accounting and budgetary skills. Maintains accountability of daily purchases and coordinates receipt of delivery. Possess a working knowledge of all US Pharmacopeia, The Joint Commission, and VA manual storage requirements. Reviews drug orders, verifying amount to order and transmitting the order to the prime vendor. Determines, establishes, and modifies appropriate ordering intervals, inventory levels, most efficient/effective ordering quantities, drug usage, delivery time requirements, and urgency of medical need. Assists with vendor returns weekly and recalls of drugs by checking applicable lots. Functions as a resource person to all members of the pharmacy staff regarding inventory status and control. Assists pharmacists in acquiring high priority or emergency items. Ensures all stocked pharmacy items are bar code labeled in accordance with program requirements. Adds, deletes, and updates inventory items and maintains the pharmacy inventory ensuring all items are properly coded and labeled. Verifies items received against orders placed, unpacks and stores supplies as appropriate. Reads and interprets prescriptions. Prepares compounded sterile preparations inclusive of chemotherapy, IV additive solutions, and performs bulk compounding. Compounding controlled substance IVs. Assist with bi-weekly controlled substance inventories. Repackages medications for use in outpatient or inpatient pharmacy following established procedures and maintains all required documentation. Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment. Provides training to new or existing staff. Provide patient education on pharmacy topics. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday. Duty hours will be discussed with the supervisor. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000/Pharmacy Technician-Sterile Compounding Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
