Pharmacy Technician

Summary

This position functions primarily in the inpatient care areas and the Pharmacy Service within the VA Medical Center. The incumbent practices as a Pharmacy Technician in the Inpatient Pharmacy of Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital that also can service Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC)s, satellite locations, and ambulatory care locations.

Duties

Reads and interprets prescriptions, obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form, determines proper amount and counts, pours, or measures the medications; affixes proper label; and records required data on Pharmacy's copy of prescription/order.

After a final check by a pharmacist, dispenses medication in ambulatory care or discharge situations.

For unit-dose medications, performs final review of medication when prepared by another technician, to be dispensed to inpatient areas (med-carts, ward stock), and/or fills unit-dose carts independently without secondary review when necessary.

Inventories and replenishes emergency carts with appropriate medications and supplies.

Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as required.

Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment such as unit dose prepackaging machines, automatic dispensing machines, IV compounding machines and other pharmacy devices.

Able to troubleshoot the equipment and the technology platforms/databases.

Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral or external medications (non-sterile). This includes calculating and converting to proper weights and measures the amount of drug or solution to be used.

After prescription/order(s) are reviewed by a pharmacist for therapeutic propriety, reviews orders for technical accuracy and converts the order, if necessary, so that the item dispensed corresponds to the drug and dose ordered.

Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel with regard to drug distribution procedures and timeframes for delivery.

Identifies basic therapeutic problems such as duplicate therapy with drugs in the same class and alerts the pharmacist to the possible need for clinical intervention.

Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessment and action teams, continually seeks to improve services.

Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdates in patient care areas and the areas' automated dispensing machines.

Ensures all look alike, sound alike, high alert, refrigerated medications are stored properly according to manufactures recommendations and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requirement.

Assists with inventory management and ordering of medicines and supplies.

Work Schedule: 1st Shift 6am-230pm and 7a,-330pm, rotating weekends and holidays

Telework:
Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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