Pharmacy Aid/Technician

The incumbent of this position help pharmacists dispense prescription medication to customers or health professionals. This position is located at the Pharmacy Department Colville Service Unit in Nespelem WA.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):
Individual Occupational Requirements

Specialized Experience

For positions at GS-4 and above: Qualifying specialized experience may have been gained in hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, or in pharmaceutical firms or laboratories. Experience must have provided a basic knowledge of:

• Pharmaceutical nomenclature;
• Characteristics, strengths, and dosage forms of pharmaceuticals;
• Pharmaceutical systems of weights and measures; and the
• Variety of procedures and techniques involved in the care, storage, repackaging, bulk compounding, and distribution of pharmaceuticals.

or

Education and Training

For GS-3: Successful completion of 1 year of study that included a course in biology, chemistry, or physics.

For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study in pharmacy or pharmacy technology that included at least 12 semester hours in courses in the care, storage, distribution, and preparation of pharmaceuticals, and appropriate laboratory work.

For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in pharmacy, or that included at least 24 semester hours in pharmacy-related courses.

Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service under close medical and professional supervision is creditable on a month-for-month basis for general experience.

Successful completion of pertinent specialized training courses in pharmaceutical and pharmacy practices while serving in the Armed Forces is creditable on a month-for-month basis up to the 1 year of specialized experience required for GS-5.

In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector:

GS-02:Your resume must demonstrate 3 months of general experience or High school graduation is qualifying for this grade
GS-03:Your resume must demonstrate 6 months of general experience or Successful completion of 1 year of study that included a course in biology, chemistry, or physics is qualifying for this grade level.
GS-04:Your resume must demonstrate 6 months of general experience AND 6 months of specialized experience OR Successful completion of 2 years of study in pharmacy or pharmacy technology that included at least 12 semester hours in courses in the care, storage, distribution, and preparation of pharmaceuticals, and appropriate laboratory work is qualifying for this grade level.
GS-05, Pharmacy Technician
Your resume must demonstrate 1 year of specialized experience that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This specialized experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service as described in the vacancy announcement. Examples include: skill in recognizing appropriate auxiliary earnings and packaging requirements of drugs dispensed. Assisting pharmacy staff in filling outpatient prescriptions under a pharmacists supervision. OR completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in pharmacy, or that included at least 24 semester hours in pharmacy-related courses OR successfully completed pertinent specialized training courses in pharmaceutical and pharmacy practices while serving in the Armed Forces which is creditable on a month-for-month basis up to the 1 year of specialized experience. OR combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position.

GS-06, Pharmacy Technician
Your resume must demonstrate 1 year of specialized experience that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience is related to the work of the position and equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service as described in the vacancy announcement. Examples Include: Assisting the Pharmacists and receiving medication orders, interpreting the orders, filling the medication, which includes calculating the dosage, and dispensing it to the patient or patient proxy; contacting and preparing contracts with third party payers when reviewing of database shows need; participating in designated meetings to discuss with other departments current billing issues; preparing medication for dispensing and administration; managing medication and supply procurement. OR completed 6 months (9 semester hours) of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position. OR combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position.

Time In Grade
Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Responsibilities:

Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of pharmacists, who must review prescriptions before they are given to patients. In most states, technicians can compound or mix some medications and call physicians for prescription refill authorizations. Incumbent will learn to perform pharmacy technician duties similar to the following:

• Collect information needed to fill a prescription from customers or health professionals
• Measure amounts of medication for prescriptions
• Package and label prescriptions
• Organize inventory and alert pharmacists to any shortages of medications or supplies
• Accept payment for prescriptions and process insurance claims
• Enter customer or patient information, including any prescriptions taken, into a computer system
• Answer phone calls from customers
• Arrange for customers to speak with pharmacists if customers have questions about medications or health matters