Pharmacy Technician Specialist

Employment Type:

Full time

Shift:

Rotating Shift

Description:

Schedule: Rotating Days and Afternoon Shifts Required

Department: In-patient Pharmacy

Location: Trinity Health Chelsea

About the Department

The inpatient pharmacy at Chelsea Hospital services inpatients, rehab, the emergency department, and operating rooms.

Clean room operations are accredited by Joint Commission for adherence to the highest standards of USP 797 and 800. Trinity Health Ann Arbor is also the lead location for the national Trinity Health Pharmacy Education and Advancement of Technicians (THE-PEAT) training program to educate pharmacy students to become PTCB, licensed Pharmacy Technicians.

Position Purpose

Under the immediate supervision of a pharmacist and Pharmacy Department leadership, provides daily pharmaceutical supportive services for the Department of Pharmacy according to established procedures and in compliance with pharmacy laws, other regulatory agencies and other members of the multi-disciplinary team. Responds to routine and emergency requests in a prompt and efficient manner, requiring a relatively high degree of independent judgement. Participates in departmental education activities and competency assessment. Actively supports and participates in the department's continuous quality improvement initiatives; promotes the organizational commitment to customer service.

Status available: Full-time –Days/Afternoons rotating

Education:

Requires high school diploma or equivalent. Completion of a formal Pharmacy Technician educational program and/or completion of an Associate's Degree preferred. Licensure in the State of Michigan is required.

Experience:

Previous pharmacy experience, hospital-based pharmacy experience preferred. Formal Pharmacy Technician program experiential education may be considered in lieu of work experience.

Licensure / Certification:

• Licensure as a Pharmacy Technician in the State of Michigan is required.

• Certification as a Pharmacy Technician is preferred.

What you will do:

• 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. Prior to performing drug preparation proven competency while working aseptically in a horizontal or vertical laminar (biological safety cabinet) flow hood using aseptic technique is required. 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.

• Supports the drug inventory process including rotation and restocking of drug dispensing areas with drugs and supplies needed to process patient medication orders. Ensures 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. Monitors any unusual activity for potential drug diversion.

• Only when/if trained in oncology may an inpatient technician 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. Utilizing the pharmacy computer system, bills and/or credits patients for medication used. Maintains investigational drug research records and validates doses ordered using investigational drug protocols.

• Obtains medications accurately from the department's automated medication supplier (i.e., BoxPicker). Loads and removes medications from this unit using bar code scanning of medication and patient labels. Prepares and labels doses removed for pharmacist final check.

• 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.

• Trains new pharmacy technicians and documents their progress and reports results to pharmacy leadership on an ongoing basis. Mentors and assists with training of Pharmacy Technician students and provides input regarding their progress.

• Performs quality improvement audits or other tasks as assigned by the pharmacist or pharmacy manager.

• Rotational schedule with required weekend and holiday responsibilities. Also available for coverage as needed.

Total Rewards and Benefits:

• Competitive compensation, DAILYPAY

• Benefits effective Day One! No waiting periods.

• Full benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO, Life Insurance, Short and Long-term Disability

• Retirement savings plan with employer match and contributions

• Opportunity for growth and advancement throughout SJMHS and Trinity Health

• Tuition Reimbursement

Our Commitment

Rooted in our Mission and Core Values, we honor the dignity of every person and recognize the unique perspectives, experiences, and talents each colleague brings. By finding common ground and embracing our differences, we grow stronger together and deliver more compassionate, person-centered care. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.

Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

EOE including disability/veteran