PHARMACY TECHNICIAN

SEARHC is a non-profit health consortium which serves the health interests of the residents of Southeast Alaska. We see our employees as our strongest assets. It is our priority to further their development and our organization by aiding in their professional advancement.

Working at SEARHC is more than a job, it’s a fulfilling career. We offer generous benefits, including retirement, paid time off, paid parental leave, health, dental, and vision benefits, life insurance and long and short-term disability, and more.

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General Description: Provides technical support to the pharmacists and the Department of Pharmacy Services and provides confidential and front-line support to customers at the pharmacy window and waiting rooms.  

Key Essential Functions and Accountabilities of the Job

• Supports the pharmacist

• Retrieves medications from shelf of Scriptpro robot (if available), counts medications, and labels containers under the supervision of the pharmacist. 
• Cleans and refills the Scriptpro robot, and Kirby Lester daily and as needed. 
• Orders and replaces stock in the pharmacy
• Retrieves and interprets medication orders; performs pharmaceutical calculations; enters orders into pharmacy computer system for pharmacist’s review. 
• Labels, fills and delivers medication to appropriate patient care locations. 

• Maintains equipment and performs required recordkeeping

• Inventories, orders, receives and stocks drugs and supplies.
• Performs restocks and cleans the IV Hood before and after compounding, cleans the entire IV room daily and performs weekly and monthly cleanings of the walls, floors, and ceilings as scheduled.
• Maintains log of hood pressures and notifies maintenance of insufficient air flow.
• Refills the emergency room Pyxis machine and files proper paperwork.
• Fills out appropriate paperwork when preparing and delivering controlled substances. 
• Receives and triages information requests; researches and provides information where appropriate; refers other inquiries to the pharmacist. 
• Retrieves expired, recalled or discontinued medications from stock and patient areas; discards or returns to stock as appropriate; completes corresponding documentation
• Assists in documentation of unit-specific procedures and quality assurance activities under Pharmacist review.

• Assist customers with a variety of needs.

• Answers telephone and takes requests for prescription refills from patients. Contacts patient’s providers when prescription has no refills.
• Communicates with patients at the pharmacy window and directs traffic within the pharmacy and waiting room. 
• Triages patient questions: answers questions when appropriate, refers other requests to a pharmacist. 
• Gives patients a courtesy call at 10 days, then returns prescriptions to stock when they are not picked up by patients within two weeks; processing prescriptions through software to reverse billing. 

• Dispenses prepared refill prescriptions under the supervision of the pharmacist.
• Applies postage to mail out prescriptions and delivers them to the warehouse or directly to air freight carrier. Puts away freight and handles boxes of up to 30 lbs.

Other Functions

• Checks crash carts for used, outdated, or recalled drugs and replenishes them as needed. 
• Keeps pharmacy areas clean, neat, and well organized. 
• Monitors refrigerator temperatures in all refrigerators used to store medication in the pharmacy
• Other duties as assigned

Education, Certifications, and Licenses Required

• Valid pharmacy technician license in the State of Alaska - required

Experience Required

• One year Hospital pharmacy, ambulatory clinic pharmacy, or retail pharmacy experience or successful completion SEARHC’s pharmacy technician training program or another formalized training program - required

Knowledge of:

• Drug names and strengths, generic equivalents, pharmaceutical and medical terminology and pharmacy law
• Computer systems as well as knowledge of operation and capabilities of all automated equipment within the pharmacy as well as those in satellite areas

Skills in:

• Sterile compounding skills
• Hazardous drug handling
• Basic math skills required to calculate dosages

Ability to:

• Communicate with patients’ verbally in person and on the phone
• Multitask with constant interruptions and adapt to changes in workload and work schedule
• Work cooperatively with all health-system and pharmacy staff and deal with difficult people
• Set priorities and solve problems and respond quickly in emergencies

Computer Skills:  

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Products including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Other Qualifications:    

• Able to learn the capabilities of automated pharmacy equipment

Travel Required: 

• Less than 10% travel expected.

Safety and Risk Management Responsibilities:

• Employees are responsible for complying with safe work rules; reporting all accidents and injuries immediately; cooperating in all accident and injury investigations; reporting defective equipment and unsafe conditions.

Physical Demands:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.  The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• The employee may frequently lift and/or push/pull up to 25 lbs.

Work Environment:

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The setting for this role will include office and healthcare settings. Exposure to controlled temperature environments, both hot and cold, is to be expected.
• The normal work routine involves no exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues.  Persons who perform these duties are not called upon as part of their employment to perform or assist in emergency medical care or first aid or to be potentially exposed in some other way.