Pharmacy Technician

Summary

This position is responsible for assisting the pharmacists in providing and coordinating complete pharmaceutical care activities in Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) Outpatient Pharmacy and/or various medication-related areas within the clinic in accordance with the mission, vision, and goals of the San Francisco VA Health Care System. Pharmacy technicians at this grade level are nationally certified and can work autonomously, using independent judgement to perform a full range of duties

Duties

• The general job functions and/or scopes of practice of this position as Pharmacy Technician at GS-0661-08, are listed below but not limited to: 1) Accurately interprets, fills, and prepares prescriptions with appropriate medications and/or medical supplies for pharmacist verification. 2) Medications (patient prescriptions and clinic stock orders) are delivered to the customer or patient care area in a timely manner to ensure standards for turnaround time are met, as evidenced by supervisor review and reports of incidents received by the supervisor. 3) Maintains work areas in a clean and orderly condition by assuring that all stock and equipment are in assigned places and all shelves and counters are free of dust and debris in order to create optimal work areas. 4) Utilizes automation dispensing equipment available to the pharmacy staff following all safety and QA procedures. Reports automation malfunctions timely to the supervisor as appropriate Functional Statement: 10022F FLSA: Non-Exempt 2 5) Performs monthly inspections to assigned areas to ensure proper storage of medications and that expired drugs are removed. Completes inspection reports in compliance with regulatory requirements. 6) Reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile). This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used for final pharmacist verification. 7) Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. Identifies basic therapeutic problems, such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention. 8) Assists in training and orientation of new staff technicians, interns, and students. Assumes an active role in the overall pharmacy-training program consisting of students, externs, interns, residents, and professional and non-professional staff members. 9) Performs duties of all lower grade technicians as needed. 10) Participate in quality and performance improvement initiatives for Pharmacy Service. 11) Completes all National, VISN, local, and Pharmacy mandatory trainings in a timely manner. 12) Complies with all VHA, Health Care System, and Pharmacy regulations, directives, policies, and procedures. 13) May be assigned to work in other areas of Pharmacy Service as deemed necessary by the Chief, Pharmacy Service or Supervisor. Duty Location: 2221 Martin Luther king, Jr Way. , Oakland, CA 94612 Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30p or determine by the hiring Manager Functional Statement #: 10022F Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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 Healthcareer Association (NHA), Certified Pharmacy Technician(ExCPT). English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. Grandfathering Provision: May qualify based on being covered in the VA Title 38 Hybrid Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation series, 0661, with permanent appointment and meet the criteria). GS-08 Grade Determination as Pharmacy Technician: 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. GS-06, 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 Technician in this assignment specialize in areas such as sterile compounding, oncology, controlled substances, medication history review, clinical specialist (anticoagulation, pain, infectious diseases), clinical informatics, automation, immunizations and any other specialized area in the advancement of the profession. The pharmacy technician will serve as a subject matter expert and key resource in the day-to-day technician duties of the specialized area. The technician will be performing assignments such as compounding sterile products, filling controlled substance prescriptions while maintaining compliance with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulations, taking medication histories and counseling patients, managing automation, managing workflow and training and orienting staff in the specialized area. Preferred Experience: Pharmacy procurement duties related to ordering, receiving and order reconciliation. Physical Demands. Employees are typically expected to work a set work schedule, however, may be assigned nights, weekends and/or holidays as needed. Principle duties require repetitive use of hands and fingers(e.g., use of a computer keyboard, etc.). May require lifting and carrying light loads (up to 44lbs.), including boxes, equipment, nutritional supplement; stooping or kneeling (e.g., to pick up items from the floor, remove and replace items on lower shelves), sitting, walking, or standing for long periods of time (4-8 hours). Normal ranges of hearing and vision are required to perform work and communicate effectively; must have the visual ability to distinguish between basic colors and s hades of color. An ability to perform tasks requiring rapid mental and muscular coordination functions simultaneously is necessary. Must be physically capable of operating various types of equipment used for the job. Work Environment. Work is performed in patient care, office, and storage areas of the facility. Work areas are adequately heated and lighted. Potential exists for: exposure to infectious patients or materials; exposure to hazardous and toxic substances including but not limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy, solvents, grease, oils, and cleaning solutions; sticks or cuts from hypodermic needles, lancets, or other sharp items; musculoskeletal injuries if proper lifting and carrying techniques are not used; unusual musculoskeletal fatigue due to prolonged standing, electronic data processing, etc.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you might be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: * your performance and conduct; * the needs and interests of the agency; * whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and * whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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/.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the 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 09/08/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13051609. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS 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. To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.