- Position Title
- Pharmacy Technician (Outpatient)
- Agency
- Veterans Health Administration
- Announcement Number
- CBSV-12710018-25-JKC Opens in new window
- Open Period
- Wednesday, March 19, 2025 to Wednesday, April 2, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1.
Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
2.
Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
3.
Are you a current permanent Federal employee from an agency other than Department of Veterans Affairs?
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
Preferences
1.
Select the lowest grade you are willing to accept for this position.
2.
Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
Your resume must be submitted in English and include the following information for each job listed:
- Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
- Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
- Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
- Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
- Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.
By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).
3.
I authorize my application information being shared with hiring managers for similar positions. I understand this option may not result in further consideration for additional positions nor will it impact my application for this announcement.
Assessment 1
To qualify for this position, you must meet the Basic Requirements as well as any additional grade-level qualification requirements. Please select the appropriate response as it pertains to your qualifications for the following questions.
Grandfathering Provision. A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
Grandfathering Provision. A Pharmacy Technician employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (11/7/2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
- Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
- Employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/ registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/ certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
- Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
- Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
- Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
Basic Requirements:
To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:
To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:
1.
Are you proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d)?
Grade Level Requirements:
Please select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your background and experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience and education are subject to verification by investigation.
Please select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your background and experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience and education are subject to verification by investigation.
2.
GS-03 Pharmacy Technician:
Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-03 you meet one of the following experience and/or education grade level requirements. Please select the following answer that best describes your level of experience and/or education.
Experience/Education Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-03 you meet one of the following experience and/or education grade level requirements. Please select the following answer that best describes your level of experience and/or education.
3.
GS-04 Pharmacy Technician:
Experience/Education Requirement:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-04 you meet one of the following:
-And-
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
In addition to meeting the experience or education for the GS-04 level, do you possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities?
- Ability to follow policies and procedures.
- Ability to maintain appropriate files.
- Ability to communicate with patients and other health professionals.
- Ability to follow both written and verbal instructions.
- Ability to operate office software/equipment to include, computers, software applications and printers.
Experience/Education Requirement:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-04 you meet one of the following:
- Completion of two years of post-secondary coursework related to pharmacy (e.g., 12 semester hours of science and mathematics courses); OR
- Completion of one of following:
- Six (6) months of experience, that demonstrated knowledge of medication or medical field practice; OR
- Successful completion of a military or nationally recognized pharmacy technician education/training program. American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP), American Pharmacist Association (APHA), Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), PTCB or NHA are examples of acceptable professional organizations recognizing such training programs. NOTE: Training courses recognized by PTCB and NHA are not actual certifications; OR
- One (1) year of experience equivalent to next lower grade level.
-And-
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
In addition to meeting the experience or education for the GS-04 level, do you possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities?
- Ability to follow policies and procedures.
- Ability to maintain appropriate files.
- Ability to communicate with patients and other health professionals.
- Ability to follow both written and verbal instructions.
- Ability to operate office software/equipment to include, computers, software applications and printers.
4.
GS-05 Pharmacy Technician:
Experience/Education Requirement:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-05 you meet one of the following:
-AND-
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
In addition to meeting the experience or education for the GS-05 level, do you possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities?
- Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations.
- Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas.
- Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic, chemical, and proprietary names of drug).
- Ability to fill prescriptions.
- Ability to use pharmacy information systems or basic pharmacy dispensing equipment with oversight.
Experience/Education Requirement:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-05 you meet one of the following:
- Successful completion of four years post-secondary education with courses related to pharmacy (e.g., 48 semester hours of science, mathematics, pharmacy) or a bachelor's degree; OR
- An associate's degree in pharmacy technician or technology (48 semester hours of concentrated pharmacy technician training); OR
- One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
-AND-
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
In addition to meeting the experience or education for the GS-05 level, do you possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities?
- Knowledge of basic pharmacy operations.
- Knowledge of pharmaceuticals to perform duties in pharmacy functional areas.
- Knowledge of pharmaceutical nomenclature (including generic, chemical, and proprietary names of drug).
- Ability to fill prescriptions.
- Ability to use pharmacy information systems or basic pharmacy dispensing equipment with oversight.
5.
GS-06 Pharmacy Technician (Full Performance Level):
Education/Experience Requirement:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05).
-AND-
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
In addition to meeting the experience for the GS-06 level, do you possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities?
- Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice.
- Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation.
- Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment.
- Knowledge of basic inventory procedures.
- Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel.
Education/Experience Requirement:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must possess at least one (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05).
-AND-
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
In addition to meeting the experience for the GS-06 level, do you possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities?
- Knowledge of Federal and state laws related to pharmacy practice.
- Knowledge of preparation, storage and distribution of medication products including those requiring special handling and documentation.
- Ability to use pharmacy information systems or operate pharmacy dispensing equipment.
- Knowledge of basic inventory procedures.
- Ability to communicate with patients and staff and direct questions to appropriate personnel.
SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action
Claiming Facility, Agency, or Federal Employee Eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent (not more than 1 year old) Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50 (Not an award SF-50). Your SF-50 must include:
Claiming Facility, Agency, or Federal Employee Eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent (not more than 1 year old) Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50 (Not an award SF-50). Your SF-50 must include:
- Position title, pay plan/series/grade
- Tenure code
- Position Occupied type of appointment (Competitive or Excepted)
Resume Reminder: Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
- Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
- Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
- Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
- Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.