Summary The GS-8 Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory) is a certified, highly specialized pharmacy technician above the full performance level at the Lubbock VA Outpatient Clinic for the Amarillo VA Health Care System (AVAHCS). 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. Responsibilities Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Pharmacy Technician: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Pharmacy-Technician-Career-Flyer.pdf The GS-8 Pharmacy Technician (Procurement/Inventory) serves as an ordering officer delegated by the national acquisition contracting officer for the purpose of ordering against the national pharmacy prime vendor (PPV) and the national blanket purchase agreements (BPA) for pharmacy. Duties include but are not limited to: ordering medications and supplies from required sources and meeting contract compliance while maintaining multiple complex accounts with the PPV; utilizing the Government purchase card program for direct orders up to the micro purchase threshold per VA financial policy; basic knowledge of pharmacy procurement, distribution, and storage requirements to maintain a safe working environment; maintaining effective and economical inventory management of all medications, medical items, and chemicals handled by the pharmacy; determining, establishing, and modifying appropriate ordering intervals, inventory levels, most efficient and effective ordering quantities, sources of supply, etc. 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; utilizing knowledge of available contract information to switch to alternative manufacturer or generic medication products when available; maintaining inventory turn performance that meets or exceeds National averages; working closely with Pharmacy managers to develop acquisition strategies to include requirements determination, concept development, conduct market research, analysis of alternatives, business case development, provide technical evaluation, surveillance, and final evaluation reports; initiating procurement requests for all medications, medical and surgical supplies and other specialized medical devices handled by pharmacy, which are either stocked or special ordered; monitoring utilization rates for all medications, prosthetic devices and pharmacy turns in pharmacy including a wide variety of ostomy products and supplies, catheters, and other specialized medical devices, most of which are available in a wide range of configurations; communicating directly with pharmacy management and the physician to determine the amount of medication necessary to initiate a course of therapy; assisting physicians, nurses, pharmacy residents, and researchers in regard to availability of various dosage forms and procedures to obtain them for special patients or research studies; maintaining a borrow/loan ledger, which is reconciled monthly to document borrow/loan actions with other institutions in the Amarillo area; receiving all stock procurement orders and verifies significant factors such as medications, amounts, strengths, dosage forms, package sizes and that charges and discounts are correct; performing the duties of purchase card holder according to VA Handbook 4008, which includes inputting orders into IFCAP within 24 business hours and reconciling charges within 10 business days; maintaining pharmacy fund control records, verifies information, and reconciles all problems, questions, or discrepancies in this area with appropriate services; providing current and accurate medication budget information to the Chief, Pharmacy Service; resolving budgetary discrepancies that may arise among Fiscal, Logistics, Prosthetics and Pharmacy Services due to change that occur during the procurement, obligation, and delivery process; closing out control points without deficit spending and obligates allocations in close coordination with Fiscal and Logistics Services to avoid the loss of funds; assisting and coordinating actions with Fiscal and Logistics Services as well as manufacturers or their representatives to arrange the return and credit of outdated and deteriorated medication stocks to ensure the pharmacy control point is properly credited; in the case of a manufacturer recall, assisting and coordinating indicated sequence of Pharmacy Service actions to retrieve and process devices/medications recalled by the manufacturer; reading and interpreting prescriptions, obtaining proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form; determining proper amount and counts, pours, or measures the medications; providing customer service concerning patient eligibility, prescription status, medication availability, co-payment charges and mailing status; processing refill requests and verified prescriptions for mailing; performing other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 52568-F This is a bargaining unit position. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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. (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 Health career Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT) 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: 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: (a) 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. (b) Skill in training and orienting new and existing pharmacy facility employees and students on proper policies and procedures. (c) 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 (Procurement/Inventory). 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 serve as an ordering officer delegated by the national acquisition center contracting officer for the purpose of ordering against the national pharmacy prime vendor (PPV) contract and national blanket purchase agreements (BPA) for pharmacy. They are responsible for ordering medications and supplies from required sources and meeting contract compliance while maintaining multiple complex accounts with the PPV. They utilize the Government purchase card program for direct orders up to the micro purchase threshold per VA financial policy. Pharmacy technicians at this level are responsible for regulatory and formulary requirements to meet patient needs within budgetary limits. Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): (A) 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. (B) 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. Preferred Experience: 5 years experience working in the Amarillo / Lubbock Pharmacy At least 5 years Pharmacy procurement experience Current delegation as an ordering officer for the pharmacy prime vendor contract Current purchase card holder for the Amarillo VA 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-8. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to lift and carry moderate amounts (15-44 pounds), have use of fingers, be able to walk for less than 2 hours and stand for less than 4. The incumbent must have near and far vision corrected, depth perception, be able to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors. Must be able to hear (hearing aid permitted) and be emotionally and mentally stable. Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. 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/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.