Pharmacy Technician - Inpatient

Job Title

Medication Management

Duties include but not limited to:

• Reads and interprets prescriptions, obtains proper medication or material in the proper strength and dosage form, determines proper amount and counts, pours, or measures; affixes proper label; and records required data on Pharmacy's copy of the prescription order.
• 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.
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes sterile IV medications. This includes completing detailed compounding records, environmental documentation for the compounding area and cleaning records for the compounding area.
• Compounds and/or reconstitutes oral and external medications (non-sterile). This includes converting to proper weights and measures the amount of medication or solution to be used.
• 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.
• Understands requirements of USP 795, USP 797, USP 800, disposal of hazardous materials, safe medication distribution and electronic prescription processing.

Inventory Management

• Inventories and replenishes emergency medication carts and kits with appropriate medications and supplies.
• Conducts ward inspections of assigned medication storage areas in inpatient nursing units, clinical units, Pharmacy storage areas and other assigned areas.
• Monitors the inventory needs of inpatient care areas, relays this information to the appropriate Pharmacy personnel. This includes placing stock in proper storage areas, rotating stock on shelves and removing/replacing outdated items.
• Monitors refrigerator temperature on a daily basis in pharmacy service.
• Assists with inventory management and ordering of medicines and supplies.

Pharmacy Automation

• Provides more advanced troubleshooting and issue reporting for pharmacy automation equipment and other systems.
• Operates and maintains complicated pharmacy automation equipment.
• Provides training on the use of and maintenance of pharmacy automation equipment, as needed.

Professional Relationships

• As deemed necessary by the pharmacy supervisor, assists in other patient care areas (including outpatient pharmacy services) to maintain the consistency of overall pharmacy services. However, primary assignments of work schedule and tours would involve inpatient pharmacy services.

Administrative

• Collects medication use evaluation data for quality improvement purposes as required.
• Assists in total quality improvement activities by participating in medical center and service process assessment and action teams, continually seeks to improve services.

Controlled Substances

• Delivers to controlled substance medications, as needed, to inpatient nursing units, critical care units, and surgical units.
• Assists, as necessary, with inventory management of the controlled substances in the automated dispensing cabinets and Pharmacy.

Training

• Maintains a training and education manual for assigned areas.
• Provides training/mentorship to new and existing staff.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

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 Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized