Pharmacy Technician, Intermediate - Night Shift (7 on/7 off)

The Pharmacy Technician is a valued step in UPMC pharmacy Career Ladder. The final candidate will be placed in the appropriate title and pay rate depending on education and experience.

Responsibilities:

• Filling:
  • Prepare cytotoxic and hazardous drugs (e.g., chemotherapy) using aseptic technique.
  • Prepare oral and injectable medications, including IV admixtures and TPN, for correct patients.
  • Fill medication orders with proper labeling, counting, and stocking.
• General:
  • Maintain inventory levels in pharmacy stock rooms, medication carousels, and dispensing machines.
  • Ensure proper hand hygiene in pharmacy and units.
  • Finalize sales and follow cash handling procedures.
  • Store medications securely per regulations.
  • Train pharmacy personnel and students.
  • Comply with Federal and State laws (HIPAA, OSHA, etc.).
  • Participate in quality improvement activities.
  • Provide and receive information to/from hospital personnel, patients, and visitors.
  • Maintain patient information, records, and pharmacy computer systems.
  • Keep documentation (eye wash logs, refrigerator logs, etc.).
  • Audit and maintain controlled substance records.
• Distribution:
  • Retrieve and return discontinued medications.
  • Distribute medications, including cassettes, emergency carts, and controlled substances.
  • Develop positive service relationships during medication distribution.
• Investigational:
  • Assist with investigational and study drugs’ procurement, storage, preparation, and distribution.
• Note: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned this job. They are not exhaustive lists of all duties, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, abilities and working conditions associated with the job.

• QUALITY IMPROVEMENT: participation in an active role as a lead contributor/developer in 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 program. 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 turn around 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. ,CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC PREPARATION: Consistently has the ability to 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, labels, or makes time changes; discontinue IV solutions with a high level of skill and accuracy. Able to perform the calculations involved in nutritional solution preparation. NOTE: Non-licensed Pharmacy Technicians working in a New York facility are not permitted to perform Sterile Compounding. ,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. ,ADJUDICATION/BILLING: Consistently exhibit the following actions; submission of prescription information to correct insurance processor, troubleshoot and resolve rejected claims, reliably coordinate multiple benefit payers, including Medicare obtaining all necessary paperwork including assignment of benefit forms., Completion of high school diploma or equivalent OR Completion of an accredited pharmacy technician program AND one of the following: Two years of previous Pharmacy Technician experience OR Enrollment in good standing as a pharmacy student. Demonstrated competency in THREE (3) of the following FOURTEEN (14) skills:
  
  Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
  Non-licensed Pharmacy Technicians, working in a New York facility are not permitted to perform Sterile Compounding.
  
  UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran