Pharmacy Technician Procurement/Inventory

The Pharmacy Technician Procurement/Inventory serves as the serves as the lead ordering officer for Pharmacy Service, providing guidance/training to lower level procurement ordering officers at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS). Pharmacy technicians at this grade level are nationally certified by PTCB or NHA and can work autonomously, using independent judgment to perform a full range of required duties.

Qualifications:

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.
  • 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
  • National Health career 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.
• 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 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:

GS-9:
Experience. One year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the lower grade level (GS-8).

Certification. Must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either:

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) OR
• National Health career Association (NHA), as a Certified Pharmacy Technician(ExCPT)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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.).
• Skill in analyzing data for self-driven (independent) performance improvement projects, workload analysis and statistical reports.
• Skill in solving problems and implementing corrective actions to maximize outcomes in their program area.
• 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).
• Ability to develop training programs and material for orientation, competency development and educational needs for regulatory requirements within the specialized pharmacy program area.
• 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, FDA503A/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.
• 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Prior VA pharmacy procurement experience
• Extensive knowledge of Federal procurement regulations

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-09.

Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 lbs.), pulling/pushing (3 hours), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands, walking/standing (8 hours), kneeling and repeated bending (1 hour), both legs required, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, DVA correctable to 20/40, both eyes required, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid permitted), and mental and emotional stability. Environmental factors include, constant noise, dust, working closely with others, working around machinery with moving parts, and protracted or irregular hours of work. The work involves long periods of moving, standing and pushing carts about the work unit.

Responsibilities:

Duties include but are not limited to:

Pharmaceutical Purchasing and Distribution:

• Serve as ordering officer for pharmacy service, delegated by the VA National Acquisition Center (NAC) while maintaining annual training requirements.
• Initiates ordering requirements of pharmaceuticals, specialty, durable medical equipment (DME) and supply items through pharmacy prime vendors multi complex accounts or other mandatory sources. Responsible for adherence to federal contracts and compliance with federal regulations regarding open market, ensuring inventory control through perpetual evaluation.
• Assists in determining ordering intervals and stock levels appropriate to meet changes in formulary, brand to AB rated generic drugs, biosimilars, contract changes, conversions, new drug indications. This also includes adjustment for backorders and seasonal changes. Utilizes VA approved software such as Scriptro Inventory Manager as needed for inventory purposes.
• Procures all types of pharmaceuticals including controlled and noncontrolled drugs within established VA ordering guidelines, policies, and procedures within inventory management specialized area with the understanding of proper budget utilization.
• 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, understanding the contracting hierarchy of all purchases.
• Purchases using 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 for auditing and accountability purposes, training, etc.

Administrative:

• Services as the lead ordering officer for Pharmacy Service
• Effectively evaluates pharmacy activities to assist pharmacy managers in obtaining short- and long-range goals and objectives.
• Assists pharmacy manager in identifying areas of effort duplication and developing solutions to streamline processes, reduce waste, save costs, and improve patient care.
• Assists in quality improvement by participating in service process assessments and action teams and by continually seeking to improve the service.
• Maintains continuous oversight on the security of pharmacy inventory and storage areas and reports to management any inconsistencies or concerns.
• Assists with writing applicable SOP's and policies

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday,
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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)
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 #: 51666F; Pharmacy Technician Procurement/Inventory Lead Ordering Officer
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Salary : $417