Inpatient Pharmacy Technician

Duties / Responsibilities

• High School Graduate or GED equivalent.
• Completion of a formal Pharmacy Technician educational program and/or completion of an Associate's Degree is preferred.
• Current licensure by the State of Michigan as Pharmacy Technician.
• Certification by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is preferred.
• Previous pharmacy experience, hospital-based pharmacy experience preferred.
• Formal Pharmacy Technician program experiential education may be considered in lieu of work experience.
• Essential mathematics skills to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure.
• Possesses effective computer and keyboarding skills; ability to work with Pharmacy Information Systems and automation used in the medication use process.
• Able to use email to communicate with other members of the department including pharmacy management.
• Excellent critical thinking skills and ability to make decisions in a fast-paced work environment.
• A team oriented colleague that is detail oriented and passionate about medication and patient safety as well as quality initiatives.
• Excellent customer service orientation skills necessary in order to deal effectively with various levels of hospital personnel, outside customers and community groups.
• Reads and interprets physician's medication orders, assists with filling, processing and dispensing of medications, re-packages and labels medication, including bulk supplies, with final check performed by a pharmacist.
• Maintains cleanliness and aseptic technique while following established departmental compounding practices and procedures when mixing intravenous admixtures including IVPBs, large volume parenterals, and total parenteral nutrition, if necessary.
• Drug preparation necessitates working aseptically in a horizontal or vertical laminar (biological safety cabinet) flow hood using aseptic technique.
• Adheres to USP 797/USP 800 Guidelines.
• Delivers controlled substances and other medications to nursing units' automated medication dispensing cabinets (ADC).
• Delivers other medication, IV solutions and all necessary forms throughout the hospital on a regularly scheduled basis to patient care areas.
• Prepares medications and subsequently loads and unloads medication into ADC with appropriate bar code scanning.
• Fills inventory needs for nursing unit ADCs, non-cabinet stock, and fills unit dose drawers by placing the proper drugs in the bins according to the computerized patient profile.
• Safeguards the maintenance of a clean and orderly work area.
• Answers phones according to established phone etiquette and directs calls to the proper personnel.
• Determines when phone calls or emergency situations need to be referred to a pharmacist.
• Completes nursing unit inspections, as assigned.
• Restocks crash cart trays and OCMCA boxes etc., as required in a timely manner.
• Alerts the pharmacists or pharmacy management of any discrepancies.
• Fills controlled substance orders and reconciles all discrepancies on a daily basis.
• Reports any discrepancies to the pharmacist or pharmacy management as appropriate.
• Maintains awareness of any unusual activity for potential drug diversion.
• Prepares and packages chemotherapy medications and other medications requiring special handling for subsequent administration to patients under the supervision of the pharmacist.
• This includes verifying drug doses and preparing preliminary drug profiles for patients on established chemotherapy protocols.
• Safely handles and manipulates cytotoxic and other special drugs and incidental equipment used in drug preparation while working aseptically in a vertical flow hood or biological safety cabinet.
• Adheres to all safety measures for handling chemotherapy/hazardous materials.
• Maintains all necessary paperwork, legal documents, and records for all medications, including chemotherapy prepared for administration.
• Utilizes the pharmacy computer system, bills and/or credits patients for medication used.
• Manages investigational drug research records and validates doses ordered using investigational drug protocols.
• Operates the unit dose packaging machine in an accurate and efficient manner. This includes restocking medications and replacing supplies, monitoring machine alarms, and ensuring doses are correctly labeled and prepared for pharmacist check.
• Utilizes the MedBoard software system and bar code scanning to track the delivery of medications to the nursing units.
• Assumes responsibility for performance of job duties in the safest possible manner, to ensure personal safety and that of coworkers, and to report all preventable hazards and unsafe practices immediately to management.
• Maintains good rapport and cooperative relationships.
• Approaches conflict in a constructive manner.
• Helps to identify problems, offer solutions, and participate in their resolution.

About the role

The Department of Pharmacy provides daily pharmaceutical supportive services for the hospital, adhering to established procedures and regulatory standards. The role requires a high degree of independence and critical thinking, with opportunities for participation in departmental education and quality improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

High School Graduate or GED equivalent. Completion of a formal Pharmacy Technician educational program and/or Associate's Degree is preferred. Certification by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is preferred. Previous pharmacy experience, hospital-based pharmacy experience preferred. Formal Pharmacy Technician program experiential education may be considered in lieu of work experience.

Skills

Essential mathematics skills, effective computer and keyboarding skills, ability to work with Pharmacy Information Systems and automation, effective communication skills, excellent critical thinking skills, ability to work in a fast-paced environment, teamwork and collaboration, excellent customer service orientation, ability to read and interpret physician's medication orders, ability to prepare and package medications, ability to handle and manipulate cytotoxic and hazardous materials safely, adherence to safety measures, ability to maintain clean and orderly work area, ability to answer phones and direct calls, ability to complete nursing unit inspections, ability to restock crash cart trays and OCMCA boxes, ability to alert pharmacists or pharmacy management of discrepancies, ability to fill controlled substance orders and reconcile discrepancies, ability to prepare and package chemotherapy medications, ability to manage investigational drug research records, ability to operate unit dose packaging machine, ability to utilize MedBoard software system and bar code scanning, ability to track medication delivery to nursing units.

Benefits

Our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity ensures a welcoming and respectful workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment, promoting professional growth, and fostering a culture of excellence.

Pay

Details on pay will be provided upon successful completion of the hiring process.

Schedule

Rotating shift schedule will be provided upon successful completion of the hiring process.