Pharmacist I

Job Title: Pharmacist I

Job Description

The Pharmacist I provides professional pharmacy services in a high-volume distribution environment, ensuring the accurate preparation, verification, and dispensing of medications while maintaining strict quality, safety, and regulatory standards. This role is ideal for a licensed pharmacist who is ambitious, eager to learn and grow, comfortable with a contractor pay structure, and able to thrive in a fast-paced setting that may include retail, mail order, or specialty pharmacy operations.

Responsibilities

• Review prescriptions issued by physicians or other authorized prescribers to verify accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness of therapy.
• Determine required formulas, ingredients, and processes needed to prepare and dispense prescribed medications.
• Compound medications using standard formulas and procedures, including weighing, measuring, and mixing ingredients as necessary.
• Direct and oversee pharmacy workers engaged in mixing, packaging, and labeling pharmaceuticals to ensure accuracy and compliance with established procedures.
• Answer questions and provide clear, professional information to pharmacy customers and internal stakeholders regarding drug interactions, side effects, dosage, and proper storage of medications.
• Maintain and follow established procedures for quality assurance, security and handling of controlled substances, and disposal of hazardous waste drugs.
• Enter and maintain accurate data in pharmacy systems, including patient information, prescribed medications, and cost details, to support pharmacy files, charge systems, and inventory management.
• Assay medications as required to determine identity, purity, and strength in accordance with applicable standards.
• Instruct interns and other medical personnel on pharmacy-related matters, including proper procedures, medication handling, and safety protocols.
• Work on your feet for extended periods while performing verification, dispensing, and oversight activities in a distribution area.
• Push carts containing medications and supplies, potentially up to approximately 30 pounds, several times throughout the day as part of workflow within the distribution area.
• Effectively multitask in a high-volume environment, managing multiple prescriptions and tasks while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with colleagues, leadership, and, when applicable, patients and providers, both verbally and in writing.
• Adapt to rotating shifts and schedules, including training and ongoing operational schedules, while maintaining reliability and punctuality.
• Support mail order and high-volume order processing workflows, applying industrial or retail pharmacy experience to optimize efficiency and accuracy.

Essential Skills

• Active pharmacist license in the state of Illinois; candidates must include their license number on their resume.
• At least one year of employment history, preferably in a retail pharmacy organization such as major chain pharmacies or similar environments.
• Experience in retail pharmacy settings (for example, high-volume community pharmacies) strongly preferred.
• Ability and willingness to work on your feet for most of the shift in a busy distribution environment.
• Capability to push carts that may be heavy, with loads up to approximately 30 pounds, several times per day.
• Strong multitasking skills, with the ability to manage multiple prescriptions and tasks simultaneously while maintaining accuracy.
• Excellent communication skills, including clear verbal and written communication with colleagues and other stakeholders.
• Self-motivated work style, with the ability to take initiative and work independently within established procedures.
• Comfort with a contractor pay structure and the associated work arrangements.
• Pharmacy degree or equivalent education necessary to hold pharmacist licensure.
• Proficiency in using pharmacy systems to enter and maintain patient, prescription, and cost data accurately.

Work Environment

This position is based in a pharmacy distribution area that operates extended hours, with shifts typically structured as 8-hour blocks within a broader operating window that may range between early morning and late evening. The core work schedule is Monday through Friday, with 8-hour shifts scheduled in 8.5-hour increments to include a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. Shifts can vary between approximately 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. (for example, 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., or 11:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m.), and there is a rotating schedule approximately every one to two weeks. Training is conducted on an 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. schedule. Hours may occasionally fall anywhere between about 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., typically as an 8-hour shift, depending on business needs. Overtime is not required but may be offered when business volume necessitates additional coverage. The work environment is fast-paced and high-volume, focused on distribution and order processing rather than a traditional front-of-store retail setting. You will spend most of your time on your feet, moving within the distribution area to review prescriptions, oversee preparation, and coordinate workflow. While there is no heavy lifting, you will push carts containing medications and supplies, potentially up to around 30 pounds, several times throughout the day. The setting emphasizes strict adherence to quality assurance, controlled substance security, and safe handling and disposal of hazardous waste drugs. Interaction with patients and providers is limited initially but may become part of the role in the future. Professional attire appropriate for a pharmacy and distribution environment is expected, and you will use standard pharmacy technologies and systems to support prescription processing, documentation, and inventory management.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of North Chicago, IL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $55.00 - $60.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in North Chicago,IL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 17, 2026.

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