Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient

Summary

This position functions primarily for the inpatient care areas of Pharmacy Service under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. The Inpatient Pharmacy Technician is responsible on a rotating basis for provision of medications to hospitalized patients using the unit dose, automated dispensing system, and IV admixture preparation.

Duties

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Inpatient Pharmacy Technician will perform inventory inspection, restocking, and ordering functions as well as providing necessary drug supplies to operating rooms, emergency department and ward drug stock areas. Major Duties include but are not limited to the following: Patient profile access: Pharmacy technicians will have access to patient profile, to assure missing dose requests appropriately. Pharmacy technicians will compare the requested missing med against the active medication profile. Pharmacy technicians will notify pharmacists of any discrepancies, questions, or concerns regarding the patient. Medication Management System: Reads and interprets prescriptions; obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form; determines proper amount and counts, pours, or measures the medications; affixes proper label; and records required data on Pharmacy's copy of prescription/order. After a final check by a pharmacist, dispenses medication in ambulatory care, pass, or discharge situations. For unit dose medications, either fills unit dose cart or performs final review of medication prepared by another technician to be dispensed to inpatient areas. Inventories and replenishes medication trays for placement into emergency crash carts Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as assigned. Operates and maintains pharmacy equipment to include automated unit dose dispensing equipment, IV admixture compounders, and remote dispensing cabinets (e.g., Pyxis). Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile). This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of dr Conducts monthly ward inspections of patient care areas. Automatic Replenish/Ward Stock: Uses the AR/WS computer program to generate a list of ward medication needs. Processes requests for ward medications, prepares and delivers products according to pharmacy operating procedures. When assigned, will prepare reports from the various Pyxis machines so that a restocking delivery can be prepared. Restocks these carts with the correct drug and quantities. Controlled Substances: Prepares and fills all inpatient orders and requests for controlled substances. Receive new stock and returned stock into inventory by ensuring the accuracy of controlled drug records. Conducts regularly scheduled inventories and interacts with controlled substance inspection officials. Ensures the pharmacy as well as all delivery transactions for controlled substances are in accordance with applicable controlled substance security regulations. Intravenous Fluids: Prepares IV admixtures including TPN/PPN, piggybacks, and other sterile products following proper aseptic technique within laminar IV hoods or biological safety cabinets. Prepares IV admixtures in accordance with USP797 principles and other pertinent pharmacy policy and procedures following proper gloving and gowning. Assists with quality checks as required by the USP797 guidelines including hood culturing, product sampling and testing for bacterial growth, and air quality sampling. For the preparation of cancer chemotherapy admixtures, follows special personal safety precautions including the ability to handle accidental chemotherapy spills. Delivers prepared IV medications to the appropriate ward or other location after check by the pharmacist. Work Schedule: Compressed schedule: 8 days on, 6 days off; 1:30 - midnight, weekends and holidays Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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 eligible for Telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 12267F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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. 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 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.

Qualifications and evaluation

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Education

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 full 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 11/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13110581. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS 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.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) Professional Certification The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc. Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV) Professional Certification SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.