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 A. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

B. English Proficiency: Pharmacy Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).C. Certification Requirement: 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).

D. Grandfathering Provision: 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.

E. Grade Determination: In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must meet the following grade requirements.

Pharmacy Technician, GS-08. 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.

Experience Requirement. Candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level of GS-7.

• Creditable Experience. To be creditable, a candidate must possess the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the scope of pharmacy technician practice. The candidate's experience must be evidenced by active professional practice. (Active professional practice means paid/nonpaid employment as a professional pharmacy technician.)
• Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of half-time work.
• Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to pharmacy technician experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• (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.)
• (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.

F. Preferred Experience: Minimum two (2) years of experience

G. References: : VA HANDBOOK 5005/159, PART II APPENDIX G28, Dated November 07, 2023

H. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-8.