Pharmacy Technician

Summary

The Pharmacy Service is looking to hire Pharmacy Technician on an Intermittent (work as needed basis) to provide technical support in the patient care area, under the supervision of a registered pharmacist in Asheville, North Carolina local and surrounding commuting area.

NOTE: This is an intermittent, as needed position open to U.S. Citizens in the Asheville, North Carolina local and surrounding commuting area..

Duties

VA Careers - Pharmacy:

Duties for the Pharmacy Technician (General) includes, but are not limited to the following:

• 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, pass or discharge situations. For unit-dose medications, performs final review of medication (prepared by another technician) to be dispensed to inpatient areas (unit-dose carts), and/or fills unit-dose carts independently without secondary review.
• Collects drug use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes.
• Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy equipment.
• 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.
• Enters correct drug, strength, dosage form, and quantity into the patient's medication profile (DHCP or otherwise). Someone authorized to verify accuracy subsequently reviews the medication profile for accuracy.
• Performs final verification of simple, non-sterile compounds prepared by lower level technicians.
• Answers questions from pharmacy and non-pharmacy personnel regarding drug distribution. 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 and continually seeks to improve services.
• Monitors inventory needs in-patient care areas, relays this information to the Procurement Pharmacy Technician. Orders inventory needs during his/her absence. This also includes placing stock in proper storage areas, rotating stock on shelves, and removing/replacing outdated items.
• Monitors refrigerator temperature on a daily basis in-patient care areas.
• Performs all the duties of lower graded technicians, if required.
• Prepares Sterile or Intravenous Additive Solutions. Applies rigid aseptic techniques in preparing sterile solutions. Uses proper sterile techniques to ensure the solution is not contaminated and potentially dangerous to the patient. Prioritizes drug orders according to established pharmacy procedures. Manufacturers complicated and uncomplicated parenteral admixtures to be delivered in the form of large and/or small volume, infusion syringe, TPN, ophthalmic preparation and other complex pharmaceuticals. Interprets the physicians order, selecting appropriate ingredients, measuring, and mixing ingredients in a safe and proper manner, inspecting the final product for accuracy, suitability, proper labeling the product, maintain proper records, and supplying the product for delivery. Processes all unused sterile products for return, recycling, and/or destruction.
• General Duties: Assists in other patient care areas as deemed necessary to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services.

Work Schedule: 7:00a-3:30pm, 8:00am-4:30pm, 9:00am-6:00pm, rotating weekends, holidays, other tours as required

Telework: Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #:000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorize

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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