Pharmacy Aide

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for answering the telephone, delivering medications curbside, and as directed to provide the highest quality pharmaceutical care to Oyáte Health Center (OHC) relatives.

Essential Functions:

• Primary duty is to answer telephone in a courteous and respectful manner.
• Assists Pharmacist in dispensing medications including delivery of medications curbside to relatives.
• Request and obtain prior authorizations for various pharmaceutical products.
• Counts stock and enters data in computer to maintain inventory records. Generates orders to receive and stores incoming supplies, adjudicates order when received and ensure payment.
• Enters data as instructed regarding vaccinations into SDIIS.
• Utilizes ScriptPro system and RPMS/EHR for retrieval of information regarding prescription status.
• Assists the Lead Pharmacy Technician with the Pharmacy’s point of sale (POS) billing program, including assisting with patient applications to medication assistance programs and Medicare Part D.
• Maintains current knowledge of and comply with federal, state, and local regulations affecting areas of responsibility.
• Maintain effective, collaborative interdepartmental and external relations.
• Must comply with federal laws and regulations as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Serves on OHC Committees, Teams, and Workgroups as assigned.
• Assists with filing of documentations.
• Properly maintain the drug take-back receptacle.
• Deliver and pick-up pharmacy mail items.
• Assist pharmacy in maintaining proper supplies through requisitions and property/supply orders.
• Responsible for maintaining the pharmacy and storage areas in a neat, clean, and orderly condition.
• Checks assigned areas for expired products.
• Performs/completes all other duties and projects as assigned.

Professional Behavior

• Effectively plan, organize workload, and schedule time to meet the demands of the position.
• Work in a cooperative and professional manner with OHC and GPTCHB staff.
• Treat Great Plains tribes and collaborators with dignity and respect.
• Utilize effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Advance personal educational development by attending training sessions and seminars as appropriate.
• Exemplify excellent customer service with tribal stakeholders, health board colleagues, program partners, service recipients, visitors, and guests.
• Foster a work environment of wellness, courtesy, friendliness, helpfulness, and respect.
• Relate well and work collaboratively with coworkers and all levels of staff in a professional manner.
• Consistently demonstrate respect for and acceptance of differing capabilities, cultures, gender, age, sexual orientation and/or personalities.
• Maintain and ensure organizational privacy and confidentiality.
• Handle crisis and tolerate stress professionally.
• Be self-directed and take proactive initiative to assist others.
• Resolve issues with other departments and coworkers without direct supervision if needed.
• Exercise flexibility to alter plans/routines when situations require and continue to perform without projecting stress/frustration that would adversely affect the work environment.
• Promote an alcohol, tobacco, and drug-free lifestyle.
• Embrace modes of appearance and attire that reflect a professional presence.
• Adhere to GPTCHB policies and procedures.

Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations affecting areas of responsibility.
• Knowledge of customer service principles.
• Skill in establishing priorities and organizing work.
• Skill in dealing with the public.
• Skill in oral communication.
• Skill in the provision of customer service.
• Skill in interpersonal relations.
• Skill in use of job-related equipment and tools.
• Skill in use of personal computer and a variety of job-related software applications.

Supervisory Controls

The supervisor makes assignments by defining objectives, priorities, and deadlines and assists the employee with unusual situations that do not have clear precedents.

The employee plans and carries out the successive steps and handles problems and deviations in the work assignments in accordance with instructions, policies, previous training, scope of license/certification, or accepted practices in the occupation.

Completed work is usually evaluated for technical soundness, appropriateness, and conformity to policy and requirements. The methods used in arriving at the end results are not usually reviewed in detail.

Guidelines

There are established procedures for doing the work and a number of specific guidelines are available as a resource. The employee may be required to use judgment in locating and selecting the most appropriate guidelines, references, and procedures for application and in making minor deviations to adapt the guidelines to specific cases. The employee may also determine which of several established alternatives to use. Situations to which the existing guidelines cannot be applied or significant proposed deviations from the guidelines are referred to the supervisor.

Guidelines include state and federal laws and regulations including: Federal Pharmacy Law, and South Dakota Pharmacy Law; GPTCHB, OHC, and department policies and procedures. These guidelines are clear and specific and require some judgment.

Complexity/Scope of Work

The work consists of related steps, processes, or methods. The decision regarding what needs to be done involves various choices that require the employee to recognize the existence of and differences among a few easily recognizable situations. Actions to be taken or responses to be made differ in such things as the source of information, the kind of transactions or entries, or other differences of a factual nature. The work involves the execution of specific rules, regulations, or procedures and typically comprises a complete segment of an assignment or project of broader scope. The work product or service affects the accuracy, reliability, or acceptability of further processes, services, and/or patient care.

Successful performance helps ensure the overall effective and efficient operation of the Pharmacy and OHC resulting in improved patient outcomes.

Contacts

The personal contacts are with employees throughout the organization and are generally engaged in different functions and kinds of work and may be representatives from various levels. Other personal contacts at this level include contact with partner organizations, Tribal affiliate organizations, and members of the general public. The purpose is to plan, coordinate, or advise on work efforts, or to resolve operating problems by influencing or motivating individuals or groups who are working toward mutual goals and who have basically cooperative attitudes.

Contacts are typically with patients, clinical providers, pharmacists, OHC employees, and members of the general public. Contacts are typically to exchange information, resolve problems, and provide services.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items, such as papers, books, or small parts; or driving an automobile. The employee must be able to read, write, speak, and hear. The work involves moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions, including exposure to contagious diseases. Employees may be required to use protective clothing, such as masks, gowns, coats, boots, goggles, gloves, or shields.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory and Management Responsibility

This is a non-supervisory position that may provide functional direction, guidance, and instruction to other employees when necessary. This position possess authority to assign, coordinate, and review quality and quantity of work of other employees. Instructs employees in specific techniques or technical methods for accomplishing work assignments. The employee may perform the same type of work as other employees but may be responsible for performance of the more technically difficult, controversial, or sensitive work assigned to the unit or group.

Supervisory and Management Responsibility

This position has no formally assigned supervisory responsibility or authority. The employee is responsible only for the performance of their own assigned work. They may be asked to train new employees in the fundamentals of the jobs or to participate in cross‑training of other employees in the department, but such assignments do not include the on‑going authority to assign and review work of other employees or to recommend or take corrective action with regard to other employees' performance.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED).
• 2 years’ work experience involving customer service.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification is required or must be obtained within ninety (90) days of employment.
• Must successfully pass a criminal and background check and a pre-employment drug screen.

The GPTLHB is a tribal organization which follows tribal preference laws. It is our policy to give preference to qualified Indian/Tribal candidates over qualified non-native candidates in hiring decisions, if all other qualifications are equal.

Employment is contingent upon the outcome of all required criminal background checks.