Student Trainee (Pharmacy Technical Support)
Summary
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) invites students to apply to our Intern positions. The ideal candidates are current Certificate Program, Undergraduate or Graduate students who demonstrate innovation and self-initiative. You will have an opportunity to train and develop your skills in career fields such as human resources, policy, healthcare, insurance, retirement, or information technology and have a positive impact on the people and communities that OPM serves.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This is a Pathways Intern temporary appointment with flexible work schedules of full-time or part-time.
Duties
What You May Be Doing:As a Student Trainee, you will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of tasks and projects. Some of the responsibilities you may undertake include:
- Enhance the design of pharmacy benefits in Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) plans to improve drug management and cost control. Analyze FEHB drug utilization trends and formularies, then present findings and recommendations to address pharmacy-related challenges.
- Contribute to studies aimed at improving outcome measures in pharmaceutical use and health system methodologies with a track record of benefitting patients and the healthcare system.
- Utilize information from pharmaceutical and medical compendia, literature, references, and clinical guidelines to support preventive care and chronic disease management. Evaluate access and coverage of pharmaceutical products.
- Examine technical, scientific, and medical data to inform agency pharmacy policy reviews. Identify emerging trends and innovations in pharmacy within both public and private healthcare sectors.
- Participate in internal and external meetings with Federal agencies, Pharmacy accreditation organizations, Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) organizations, professional pharmacy associations, and other stakeholders to discuss pharmacy quality and patient safety matters.
- Collaborate in meetings with OPM health economists and actuaries to analyze pharmacy data and contribute content for senior leadership reports.
The Skills to be Successful as a Student Trainee:To excel as a Student Trainee, you should possess the following skills and qualities:
- Ability to work smart, driving projects, meeting deadlines, and achieving goals.
- Proactive nature and bias for action.
- Attention to detail, precision, and ability to handle tasks with high accuracy.
- Flexibility, creativity, curiosity, and willingness to take initiative.
- Quick and adaptable learner, comfortable with ambiguity and dynamic change.
- Ability to inspire trust, build relationships quickly, and earn the confidence and cooperation of business partners.
- High standards, integrity, and ethics.
What We're Looking For:To be considered for the Student Trainee position, you should meet the following criteria:
- Currently enrolled in an educational institution.
- Strong team player while also demonstrating independent thinking.
- Ability to work under deadlines, organize tasks, and multitask effectively.
- Robust analytical skill set.
- Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills.
- Endless curiosity and a penchant for thinking outside the box.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office software products.
- Attentive to team needs, providing rapid and high-quality responsiveness to requests.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, maintaining rapport with team members and professionalism with others outside of the team.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, demonstrating a professional demeanor and the ability to interact with others with discretion and tact.
- Keen attention to detail.
- Capable of identifying and completing tasks independently, with a sense of urgency and ownership.
- Demonstrated success in maintaining high personal work standards.
- Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and tact.
- Strong presentation skills to audiences comprising all levels of leadership.
- Highly motivated and self-starter, able to work autonomously and effectively drive forward the work assigned. If you possess these skills and qualities, we encourage you to apply for this exciting Student Trainee opportunity.
RequirementsConditions of Employment
Citizenship: Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
Selective Service: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
Age: You must be at least 16 years of age
Background Investigation: Must be suitable for Federal employment as determined by a background investigation.
Availability for Work: Applicants hired on a temporary appointment will be afforded the opportunity to work a full-time schedule during the period of May 19, 2025 through August 16, 2025.
Student Status: Applicants must have at least 1 academic year (Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 sessions) remaining in their studies before they complete their current degree requirements.
Graduation Status: Applicants that graduate prior to May 2026 will not be considered for this position unless you have been accepted into a follow-on degree or certificate program.
Pathways Agreement: If selected, you will be required to sign a Pathways Agreement which specifies the conditions of your employment as we've indicated in this job announcement. You must continue to meet the Pathways Program requirements throughout the duration of your appointment. To verify that you do, we will require proof of your continued enrollment and good standing each semester or grading period throughout your internship. Failure to do so will result in termination of your internship and employment.
Trial Period: Selectee must complete a trial period while on the Pathways internship appointment.
Bargaining Unit: This position is eligible for inclusion in the bargaining unit.
- If the duty station is finalized outside of the Washington, DC metropolitan area, this position will not be represented by a bargaining unit.
- If the duty station is finalized in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, employees in this position will be represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 32.
Qualifications
You must meet the education requirements detailed below by the close of the vacancy.
You must have:
One year of specialized experience GS-6 level (or equivalent) performing the following: Assisting in the analysis of statistical data in the pharmaceutical and/or health system industry to aid recommendations for better control of drug use and costs or solutions to pharmacy issues and problems AND Assisting with research for pharmacy innovation and/or trends.
OR
Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education directly related to the work of the position; or Eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement Provision with a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy or 24 semester hours of pharmacy related coursework such as Pharmacology, Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Science, Medicinal Chemistry, Biostatistics, or Biomedicinal Chemistry.
Superior Academic Achievement: You are in the upper one-third of the graduating class; or a have a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of 4.0, as recorded on an official transcript, or based on courses completed during final 2 years of curriculum; or a GPA of 3.5 or higher out of 4.0, based on average of required courses completed in major or required courses in major completed during the final 2 years of curriculum.
An academic year of graduate education is based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours is considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement.
To meet the Intern Eligibility requirements, you must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled).
Certificate programs must be at least one-year duration of full-time academic study in post-secondary education.
Accepted for Enrollment: If you have been accepted for enrollment in an institution or career or technical education program, but have not yet begun coursework, you must submit an Acceptance Letter from the institution and your most recent academic transcript from your previous program.
NOTE: You will NOT be considered under Pathways unless you provide supporting information from your school. Documentation may be provided in letter format from your academic advisor, school counselor, admission office, etc. to prove enrollment OR it may be provided in the form of several official documents from your school such as a copy of your official transcripts and a copy of your class schedule for next semester. Copies of documents from your school website are acceptable if they contain all relevant information as listed above. Letters from advisors or other school officials must be on school letterhead. Official transcripts will be required prior to final offer of employment.
Education
Additional information
Diversity Information
The Office of Personnel Management is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that workforce diversity creates an environment in which our employees can thrive. We understand and embrace the variety through which people gain experiences whether through professional, personal, educational, or volunteer opportunities. OPM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
We understand that not everyone will demonstrate proficiency in all of the duties listed in this job posting. At OPM, we strive to raise the bar! We encourage all to apply if you feel your skills and life experiences are transferable to some of the duties listed in this vacancy.
What Do We Offer?
Upon graduation and completion of the student internship program requirements you may be non-competitively converted, without a break in service, to a term (time-limited), career, or career conditional (permanent) appointment in the federal government. The anticipated target position will be a Pharmacist position with full performance level of GS-13; however, the target position and full performance level may change based on the need of the organization at that time. Interns must meet the qualification requirements for the position to which converted.
Interns must meet the qualification requirements for the position to which promoted or converted.
This appointment allows for conversion to a permanent appointment. Conversion Eligibility Information Requirements
Extensions: If hired on a temporary appointment, it may be extended without further competition based on the need of the organization for the work to continue and provided the individual continues to meet the eligibility requirements.
If you are unable to apply online and would like to request information about the Alternate Application process, please use the contact information at the bottom of this announcement.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional similar vacancies across OPM.
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Current Federal civilian employees may apply for this position. If selected, a break in service of at least 4 calendar days may be required prior to appointment to this position.
For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: Pathways Program Fact Sheets