Pharmacy Technician - Compounding and Drug Distribution

Summary

The Pharmacy Compounding and Drug Distribution Technician is responsible for the first line management of all controlled substances handled by the Pharmacy for the St. Cloud VA Health Care System. The incumbent is also responsible for the preparation of non-sterile and sterile products handled by Pharmacy. This position requires thorough knowledge and understanding of federal, VA and facility regulations regarding controlled substances and compounding functions.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Controlled Substances Accurately interprets, fills and readies-controlled substance prescriptions with appropriate medications for Pharmacist verification. Effectively coordinates, manages, completes and documents the purchasing of prescription drug products by maintaining a comprehensive knowledge of the procurement and formulary process. Maintains, verifies, stocks and replaces outdated controlled medications from stock, including inpatient wards, storage cabinets and the Pharmacy vault. Maintains accurate electronic inventory through decrementing prescriptions, entering received inventory and transferring to automated dispensing cabinets. Follows policies and procedures for handling the destruction and return of controlled medications. Assists, reviews and makes recommendations in inventory control of controlled substances. Monitors and analyzes orders and usage/distribution patterns for questionable circumstances or unusual trends and communicates potential problems to supervisor. Provides training for Pharmacists, interns, Technicians, inspectors, students and others in controlled substance accountability procedures. Prepares, operates, restocks, and maintain complex automated dispensing cabinets and all necessary equipment supporting pharmaceutical patient care functions. Maintains file of hard copy CII-V prescriptions. Resolves inventory discrepancies immediately when discovered by reviewing reports and contacting appropriate people when needed. Reports discrepancies to supervisor, when appropriate. Ensures all controlled substance procedures abide by all local requirements, VISN, OIG and VHA handbook expectations and requirements, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, VA Central Office directives, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) requirements, appropriate inventory management practices and other state and local requirements that apply. Maintains security of controlled substances by controlling access to storage areas and ensuring that controlled substances are kept in a locked, supervised area specifically designated for controlled substance storage. Compounding Is knowledgeable in United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <795>, <797> and <800> standards, Pharmacy law, VHA directives and DEA regulations as they relate to practice within the VA Health Care System. Uses aseptic technique to compound sterile products within the IV suite. Prepares sterile ophthalmic preparations and other complex sterile pharmaceutics as appropriate. Correctly interpret orders, selects, and measures appropriate ingredients, mixes ingredients in an aseptic manner, inspects the final product for accuracy, suitability and elegance, labels the product, maintains records of the manufacturing process and supplies the product for delivery. Understands specific handling considerations for storage, distribution, and disposal of medications. Displays competence with good aseptic technique and manufacturing practices through demonstration and work performance. Maintains technical knowledge of equipment and supplies used in compounding sterile products, including but not limited to admixing pumps, needles, syringes, and other compounding supplies. Operates and maintains complicated Pharmacy equipment, including but not limited to laminar flow hoods and compounding software. Ensures that the IV cleanrooms are cleaned daily and appropriate logs are completed for daily, weekly and monthly cleaning. Use knowledge, skills, and abilities to resolve questionable orders or situations to ensure quality of care. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, rotates 7:30am-4:00pm, 8:00am-4:30pm, and 9:30am-6:00pm. Rotational on-call sterile compounding. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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 Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 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. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below 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. 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. This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens. Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility. 2. All other VA employees. 3. All other applicants. 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 08/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13030178. 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: Professional Certification Resume Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field. Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field. 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 (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) License Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) on a separate document - KSAs are found under qualification/grade requirements in the announcement Resume/CV exceeding two-pages Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume SF-15 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. The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being