Pharmacy Technician

This position is in Outpatient Pharmacy and is the controlled substance (vault) technician). This position provides support to all pharmacy operations in a variety of settings. This includes patient care activities by promoting stewardship, patient centered care, enhancing patient safety, and optimizing drug related outcomes in a cost- effective manner with evidence based pharmaceutical care. The technician manages the controlled substance inventory for the needed pharmacy section.

Functions or Scopes of Practice

1. Ability to prepare, fill, and dispense controlled substance according to policies and procedures.

2. Conducts regularly scheduled inventories every 72 hours and daily if needed according to regulations and policies.

3. Assists the Controlled Substance Compliance Inspectors to complete the monthly inspections.

4. Effectively coordinates, manages, completes, and documents the purchasing of all prescription and non-prescription drug products and supplies by maintaining a comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process.

5. Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdated CS medications from stock - including inpatient wards, inpatient/outpatient storage cabinets, vaults.

6. Maintains accurate electronic inventory through decrementing prescriptions, entering received inventory, transferring to automated dispensing cabinets, dispensing on green sheets, and transferring to other dispensing vaults.

7. Follows policies and procedures for handling the destruction and return of controlled substance medication.

8. Works with pharmacy procurement personnel by providing information regarding medications and supplies needed from the warehouse or wholesaler based on items used.

9. Assists, reviews, and makes recommendation in inventory control of controlled substances. 10. Monitors, analyzes orders, and usage/distribution patterns for questionable circumstances or unusual trends. Communicates potential problems to the Pharmacy Manager.

11. Provides training for pharmacists, interns, technicians, inspectors, students, and others in controlled substance accountability procedures.

12. Prepares, operates, restocks, and maintains complex automated dispensing cabinets and all necessary equipment supporting pharmaceutical patient care functions.

13. Maintains file of hard copy of hand-written CII-V prescriptions.

14. Resolves inventory discrepancies immediately when discovered by reviewing reports and contacting appropriate persons when needed. Reports discrepancies to pharmacy supervisor for follow up.

15. Ensures all controlled substances procedures abide by all local requirements, VISN, OIG and VHA handbook expectations and requirements, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, VACO directives, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requirements, appropriate inventory management practices, and other state and local requirements that apply.

16. Maintains security of controlled substances by controlling access to storage areas, and by ensuring that controlled substances are always kept in the locked, supervised area, specifically designated for controlled substance storage.

Work Schedule:

Monday-Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm

Compressed/Flexible:

Not available

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus):
Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance):
Not Authorized

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 #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS):
Not Authorized