Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Technician

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Minneapolis, Minnesota

Salary Range: $67182 - $87344 Per Year

Job Summary: The GS-8 clinical inpatient pharmacy technician function is to provide administrative, clerical, clinical and technical support for the activities of a clinical inpatient pharmacist.

Major Duties:

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The clinical pharmacy technician assumes responsibility for clinical activities that do not require a pharmacist license or specialized expertise. This includes interacting with patients and health care team members to collect data about medication use, to assist in the logistical aspects of the inpatient pharmacy team needs, and documenting activities in the Electronic Health Record (EHR.) Judgment and skill are used to complete technical functions within the EHR and perform other clinical technician duties as assigned under the supervision of a pharmacist. Technicians complete tasks based upon Medical Center policies and procedures, established protocols, Standard Operating Procedures, individual instruction, and accepted pharmacy practices. Technicians must inform a pharmacist of problems or unusual situations unable to be appropriately handled within their scope. FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION: Primary duties of the Clinical Inpatient Pharmacy Technicians include, but are not limited to: a. Administrative and Clerical i. Independently assigns, analyzes, and evaluates necessary daily workflow and workload. ii. Evaluates problems and provides an appropriate solution or refers the problem expeditiously to a pharmacist when the problem is beyond the technician's level of knowledge or expertise. iii. Independently gathers, evaluates, and analyzes data and generates reports pertinent to inpatient pharmacy daily rosters and patients needing medication histories. iv. Liaisons with other pharmacy and facility department staff to assist with concerns and operational needs. b. Clinical i. Triages medication information requests from patients, family members, caregivers, and other healthcare team members through appropriate modality (phone, secure messaging, etc) and refers to other clinical staff when indicated. ii. Conducts routine patient medication history interviews via appropriate modalities (ie: VVC, telephone, in person, etc) to obtain and assess pertinent medical information and medication history. iii. Completes accurate and timely documentation of patient interaction in EHR using the appropriate note title and template, in compliance with business rules. c. Quality Improvement i. Identifies areas for improvement within the workflow of Clinical Pharmacy where appropriate to facilitate the delivery of care to Veterans. ii. Assists in the development and updating of Minneapolis VA HCS Pharmacy policies and procedures. Customer Service Relationships with supervisors, co-workers and others within the organization must be consistently courteous and cooperative in nature and overall contribute to the effective operation of the office. Performance must demonstrate the ability to adjust to change or work pressure in a pleasant manner; handle differences of opinion in a businesslike fashion; follow instructions conscientiously; and function as a team member, helping the group effort where possible. Interacts with a wide variety of staff and demonstrates sensitivity to and an understanding of their needs by taking ownership of the problem and adopting the customer's needs as their own. Provides professional and technical advice, support and assistance to all customers with a view towards accomplishing the service mission (i.e., customer service). Personal interactions will be free of legitimate negative feedback. Treats customers in a professional manner, with tact, courtesy, and respect. Instills confidence and trust with supervisors, peers, and subordinates by providing timely and quality service. Meets established time frames and deadlines in area of responsibility. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Telework: If approved, Ad-Hoc ONLY Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Qualifications: All requirements must be met at the time of the announcement closing. 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 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: 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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). 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-08: Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-07) and demonstrate the KSAs below. Certification. For positions above the full performance level, the employee must pass a national certification exam and hold an active national certification through either: PTCB as a CPhT. OR NHA as a ExCPT. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs for ALL GS-08 assignments and meet any additional KSAs for the assignment, if indicated: 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.) Note: See Specialized Area.in the Definitions Section. 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.1. 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.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/19/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12850718. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-19