Advanced Practice Pharmacy Tech

About the Role

The licensed pharmacy technician may work in various settings: Hospital, Retail, and Ambulatory Infusion Clinics. The role may also specialize in specific skill sets such as pharmacy buyer/inventory specialist, automation technician, IV room sterile processing technician, IV chemotherapy technician, and medication reconciliation technician. Duties will align with the technician’s assigned skill set and the pharmacy supervisor or director’s agreed-upon work assignment.

Note: Pharmacy technicians in physician-based Ambulatory clinics are not required to be licensed by the State Board of Pharmacy; however, HonorHealth policy requires all technicians to be licensed to allow for floating, cross-coverage, and flexibility across various pharmacy practice settings.

Responsibilities

General Pharmacy Technician Duties:

• Practice within all State Board of Pharmacy, DEA, and FDA rules and regulations.
• Preparation of prescription orders, including sterile and non-sterile preparation (hazardous and non-hazardous).
• Unit dose preparation of oral solids, ensuring pre-packaging records are complete.
• Knowledge and functionality of automated dispensing machines (ADM) (Lynx, Pyxis).
• Preparation of ADM cart fills, stocking, and restocking.
• Run reports from ADMs and/or enter required documentation within ADMs.
• Retrieve narcotics and follow all requirements for complete controlled substance distribution.
• Assist inventory specialist in maintaining drug inventory levels.
• Credits/returns to wholesaler.
• Stocking/restocking.
• Monitor expiration dates and unit inspections (Quality Assurance checklists).
• Maintain a completely clear and clean workspace at all times (sterile and non-sterile areas).
• Maintain temperature control logs.

Specific Skill Level Duties (in addition to general pharmacy technician duties as assigned):

IV Room Pharmacy Tech:

• Compounds sterile or non-sterile pharmaceuticals, including chemotherapy, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and IV admixture.
• Ensures compliance with departmental quality assurance requirements, including expiration date checking, refrigerator temperature monitoring, laminar air flow hood cleaning documentation, equipment calibration verification, and viable/non-viable environmental sampling.
• Ensures medication orders and sterile compounding meet established departmental guidelines.
• Assists the Inventory Specialist to ensure the IV room is adequately stocked with needed medications and supplies, including TPN additives and chemotherapy.

Inventory Specialist Tech:

• Performs purchasing and inventory control functions on a daily operational basis.
• Reviews and inventories stock to be ordered, procured, or requisitioned through various wholesalers and acceptable vendors, ensuring proper storage, quality, and integrity.
• Receives and validates invoices to ensure orders are appropriate, complete, and compliant with contracts, cost management, laws, and regulations.
• Maintains inventory levels based on budgetary goals and communicates critical shortages, high-dollar, or high-volume drugs.
• Coordinates drug recalls, drug transfer logs, and manages the hospital formulary inventory.
• Utilizes technology such as Pharmogistics to optimize pharmacy distribution and inventories.

Automation Tech:

• Responsible for oversight of all aspects of hospital automation equipment and serves as a resource for technology projects, upgrades, and new equipment installation.
• Assists pharmacists in daily provision of pharmaceutical services by establishing overall operational workflows related to automation drug dispensing machines (ADMs), unit dose packagers, and other technology such as DoseEdge.

Ambulatory Infusion Clinic Pharmacy Technician:

• Oversees the daily activities of the medication use process and provides comprehensive pharmacy services in an ambulatory setting.
• Responsible for preparation and delivery of sterile and hazardous medication, complex IV admixtures, chemotherapy, and biotherapy admixtures.
• Responsible for proper planning, purchasing, and inventory control based on compliance with rules and regulations.
• Collaborates with physicians and clinical staff on drug dosing, standardization, and quality metrics.

Retail / Specialty Pharmacy Technician:

• Performs pharmacy technician duties for retail pharmacy according to State Board of Pharmacy.
• Assists under pharmacist supervision in receiving written or electronic prescriptions, filling, and dispensing.
• Responds to patient queries, maintains records, assists in patient insurance authorization, and manufacturer assistance programs.

Medication Reconciliation Technician:

• Responsible for obtaining, verifying, and documenting medication history in the electronic medical record accurately and timely, in compliance with standard procedures and regulatory standards.
• Under pharmacist supervision, performs medication histories through patient/family/significant other interviews for patients in the emergency department to be admitted to an inpatient unit or for direct inpatient admission.
• Interacts directly with patients, visitors, physicians, and hospital staff in a professional manner consistent with organizational values.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED (Required).
• Completion of a formalized Technician Training Program (Preferred).
• 1 year of pharmacy technician experience or completion of a formalized technician training program (Required).
• 3 years of pharmacy technician experience (retail, hospital, infusion clinics, medication reconciliation, or wholesaler experience) (Preferred).

Qualifications

• Current license by AZ State Board of Pharmacy as a Pharmacy Technician (LPT) (Required).
• Current Pharmacy Technician Certification (CPhT) issued by Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the certification of pharmacy technicians (ExCPT) (Preferred).