Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient/Outpatient Float

Pharmacy Technician Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Inpatient Pharmacy Activities

  • Accurately interprets, fills, and prepares prescription stock utilizing automated replenishment reports.
  • For unit-dose medications, conducts the final review of medications prepared by other technicians prior to dispensing to inpatient areas, and independently fills unit-dose carts without secondary review as appropriate.
  • Maintains, verifies, stocks, and replaces outdated medications in patient care areas and automated dispensing machines.
  • Monitors medication inventory needs in patient care areas and communicates requirements to appropriate pharmacy personnel.
  • Inventories and replenishes emergency medication carts as required.
  • Operates and maintains complex pharmacy equipment, including unit dose prepackaging machines, automated dispensing machines, and other pharmacy technologies.
  • Inspects packaged items for accuracy and suitability prior to submitting them for final pharmacist check before distribution to Medical Center areas.
  • Ensures repackaged dosage forms are labeled according to USP and VA standards, with final review and approval by a pharmacist.
  • Maintains comprehensive repackaging records to ensure compliance with all regulatory and review standards.
  • Troubleshoots minor mechanical issues for automated systems and coordinates resolution of more significant problems with the supervisor, vendor help desk, ADPAC, or other appropriate channels.
  • Ensures all inspected areas comply with established standards for appropriate drug storage and security.
  • Demonstrates thorough understanding of requirements for USP 795, USP 797, USP 800, hazardous materials disposal, safe medication distribution, and electronic prescription processing.

• Controlled Substances

  • Maintains accurate electronic inventory through decrementing prescriptions, entering received inventory and transferring to automated dispensing cabinets.
  • Appropriately restocks controlled substance items in automated medication dispensing systems (AMDS) in Pharmacy and throughout the Medical Center.
  • Follows policies and procedures for handling the destruction and return of controlled medications.
  • Monitors and analyzes orders and usage/distribution patterns for questionable circumstances or unusual trends and communicates potential problems to supervisor.
  • Maintains file of hard copy CII-V prescriptions.
  • Resolves inventory discrepancies immediately when discovered by reviewing reports and contacting appropriate people when needed. Reports discrepancies to supervisor, when appropriate.
  • Ensures all controlled substance procedures abide by all local, state and national requirements.

• Outpatient Pharmacy Activities

  • Assembles and fills prescriptions accurately, ensuring the correct drug, strength, quantity, auxiliary labels, and prescription labels.
  • Dispenses medications directly to patients at the outpatient pharmacy window, verifying patient identification and providing medication counseling as needed.
  • Ensures the correct medication is dispensed by utilizing bar code scanning on stock bottles.
  • Supports pharmacy automation by manually processing prescriptions not handled by automated dispensing machines.
  • Operates automated dispensing machines to fill prescriptions, performing daily and routine maintenance, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring efficient and accurate operation.
  • Ensures timely completion and dispensing of all prescriptions to the appropriate location, including window, mail, and internal delivery.
  • Verifies patient identification in accordance with policies.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Primarily Monday-Friday with rotating shifts of 7:30am-4:00pm and 8:00am-4:30pm; includes weekend and holiday rotations with an 8:30am-5:00pm shift.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Not eligible

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized