Pharmacy Technician

UPMC Williamsport is seeking a motivated Pharmacy Technician to join our inpatient team. If you are interested in working in a hospital pharmacy environment, we invite you to apply today.

This role will work Evenings, with a weekend and holiday rotation.

We offer a competitive wage, a generous total rewards benefits package, and a pharmacy technician career ladder to help you grow professionally.

Applicants will be considered at the Pharmacy Assistant, Pharmacy Technician Associate, and Pharmacy Intermediate levels.

*Applicants will be placed in the appropriate job title and salary based on his/her individual experience, education, and certifications at the time of hire.

Responsibilities:

• General Responsibilities: Develop and maintain a clean, organized, and adequately stocked work environment.
• Filling Responsibilities: Consistently can work in the Sterile Product area preparing cytotoxic and hazardous drugs (e.g. chemotherapy) using proper aseptic technique.
• General Responsibilities: Maintain all pertinent documentation as required.
• General Responsibilities: Ensure medications in all areas have been safely and securely stored according to the Department of Health, The Joint Commission, and State Board of Pharmacy regulations.
• Distribution Responsibilities: Develop and maintain positive and productive service relationships during the medication distribution process.
• Distribution Responsibilities: Participate in the distribution of medication including medication cassettes, emergency medication carts, and the delivery of controlled substances per department policy and state and federal requirements.
• General Responsibilities: Participate in departmental quality improvement activities to continually improve and evaluate pharmaceutical care as reflected by operational and patient care indicators.
• General Responsibilities: Use computer skills to process and maintain all patient information and records.
• General Responsibilities: Finalize sales using cash register, follow proper cash handling policies and procedure.
• General Responsibilities: Audit and maintain accurate records for controlled substances.
• General Responsibilities: Procure and maintain adequate inventory levels daily in applicable areas such as pharmacy medication stock rooms, automated medication carousels, and automated dispensing machines.
• Filling Responsibilities: Assist in filling medication orders through correct labeling, counting, and stocking practices.
• General Responsibilities: Provide and receive information (via telephone, person-to-person, or written) to hospital personnel, patients, and visitors.
• General Responsibilities: Demonstrate a high level of accuracy and skill in maintaining controlled substance records and the distribution process for controlled substances.
• Filling Responsibilities: Assist in the preparation of the proper oral and injectable medications (including intravenous admixtures and TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition)) for the correct patient for administration at the appropriate time.
• Distribution Responsibilities: Retrieve medications that have been discontinued and return (and credits if necessary) them to the appropriate pharmacy area.
• Investigational Responsibilities: Assist in the procurement, accountability, storage, preparation, and distribution of investigational and study drugs.
• General Responsibilities: Maintain and update automated med stations, unit and department stock, emergency boxes, and crash carts.

Quality Improvement: Participate in an active role as a lead contributor/developer in the department and collaborative quality improvement, assist in data collection, program implementation, and reporting of results.

Prior Authorization Processing: Possess a high level of knowledge regarding insurance prior authorization process including communication with patient and health care providers, understanding of documentation needed from medical records and pharmacy benefit management websites, ability to complete needed paperwork and assist in the follow-up with the approval process.

Medication Access and Adherence: Assist patients and health care providers with financial coordination using programs such as copay assistance, pharmaceutical manufacturer assistance programs, foundation assistance, and UPMC programs. Promote quality and patient health through enrollment and management of adherence programs such as refill coordination and medication synchronization.

Decentral Participation: Engage in decentralized technician activities including automation management, cassette exchange, and expiration return, and demonstrate customer service during all interactions with nurses to facilitate the drug distribution process. Monitor pharmacy activities including but not limited to turnaround time, stockouts, missing doses, central drop, and AcuDose footprints.

Medication Reconciliation: Interview patients and appropriate caregivers to obtain admission medication information and accurately enter it into the electronic chart for review by a pharmacist. Coordinate with health care professionals to facilitate any medication changes made throughout the hospital stay and ensure the filling of prescriptions for patients upon discharge. This may include transportation of the physical prescription and coordination of payment from the patient to the outpatient pharmacy.

Automation: Possess a high level of knowledge and skill in working with pharmacy automation technologies, including RobotRx and packaging operations.

OR Services: Understand and consistently assist with the daily operations within the operating room pharmacy, including drawing up syringes and filling kits, case trays, room boxes, etc., as well as appropriate inventory and ordering practices for OR satellites and areas.

Inventory Processes: Maintain an understanding of best practices associated with inventory control processes, ordering, and receiving medication. Demonstrate a solid understanding related to laws, regulations, and policies and procedures related to procurement.

Non-Sterile Packaging: Able to package oral dosage forms including liquid formulations in the pharmacy packaging system.

Controlled Substance Handling: Assist with controlled substance ordering, receiving, and filling, and maintain appropriate inventory documentation in compliance with Federal, State, and Department Regulations.

Cytotoxic Preparation: Consistently can work in the Sterile Product area preparing cytotoxic and hazardous drugs (e.g. chemotherapy) with a high level of skill and expertise.

Sterile Compounding: Compound IV medications using appropriate aseptic technique in an accurate, efficient, and timely manner. Utilizing the pharmacy information system, generate any necessary sterile product reports and labels, or make time changes; discontinue IV solutions with a high level of skill and accuracy. Able to perform the calculations involved in nutritional solution preparation.

Order Entry: Assist with the order entry of medications into the pharmacy information system including IV admixtures and TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition), under the supervision of a pharmacist.