Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory)

Summary

The Pharmacy Procurement/Inventory Technician is Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) certified and responsible for all prescription and non-prescription medications and supply purchasing and inventory in a highly complex area of Pharmacy Service at the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SAVAHCS).

Duties

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include but no limited to: Possesses knowledge of all aspects of drug characteristics and nomenclature for procurement and stock maintenance (generic/brand names, dosage gorms, AB rating equivalence). Determines, establishes, and modifies appropriate ordering intervals, inventory levels, ordering quantities, sources of supply. Understands and executes orders to ensure shipping and receipt of products are completed timely (physically and electronically) according to established practices. Maintains accountability of daily purchases and coordinates receipt of invoices as part of drug accountability and inventory management. Utilizes proper inventory management to ensure sufficient stock of medications and supplies are available to meet the needs of the pharmacy and patient care. Conducts annual pharmacy wall-to-wall inventory with respective Technician Supervisors following established policies and procedures. Maintains comprehensive knowledge of the inventory management operation of pharmacy automation equipment (e.g., ScriptPro Inventory Management System (SIMS), Omnicell Central Pharmacy Management (CPM) to drive effective and economical inventory of pharmaceutical supplies and medications. Provides PS management analysis of medication and supply usage data trends and knowledge of medications to make recommendations for adding or substituting various medications and supplies. Maintains the integrity of all automation databases and systems to ensure accurate inventory information about medications, pharmaceutical supplies, and user access levels to meet all necessary statutes and regulations. Reviews FDA reports, recall alerts and notifications to determine if any medications or pharmacy stocked supplies require removal. Understands the different classes of recalls and the established timeframes for follow up including inspecting and removing stock as well as communicating to PS management. Will maintain a working knowledge/competency of lower graded pharmacy technician duties for tours where staffing is limited, and additional assistance is necessary as assigned by their supervisor. Assists in training and orienting new pharmacy personnel, volunteers, students, etc., in the technical phases of inventory operations. Will perform various procurement support duties independently, including correlating transactions, dealing with continually changing deadlines and priorities, completing assigned functions that are broad and varied, pre-screening purchases. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

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. 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). 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 (Procurement/Inventory), GS-08. Experience. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level 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: (a) PTCB as a CPhT. OR (b) 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.) 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. Basic knowledge of pharmacy procurement, distribution and storage requirements to maintain a safe working environment. This includes not limited to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and DEA requirements and regulations. Ability to assist in determining and modifying as necessary: ordering intervals, inventory levels and cost-effective ordering quantities from required sources based on current financial conditions in pharmacy, seasonal variations in drug usage, changing patterns in medical practice, delivery time requirements and urgency of medical need. 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-08. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion, involving standing/sitting for prolonged periods of time, lifting/carrying of pharmaceutical supplies weighing up to 50 lbs., and bending/stooping. The work may entail repetitive wrist movement while using various size syringes, vial cap removal, and typing.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.