Oncology Pharmacy Tech Specialist
Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Employment Type:
Full time
Shift:
Day Shift

Description:

GENERAL SUMMARY AND PURPOSE:

Under the immediate supervision of a pharmacist and Pharmacy Department leadership, provides daily pharmaceutical supportive services for the Department of Pharmacy according to established procedures and in compliance with pharmacy laws, other regulatory agencies and other members of the multi-disciplinary team. Responds to routine and emergency requests in a prompt and efficient manner, requiring a relatively high degree of independent judgement. Participates in departmental education activities and competency assessment. Actively supports and participates in the department's continuous quality improvement initiatives; promotes the organizational commitment to customer service.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:

Requires high school diploma or equivalent. Completion of a formal Pharmacy Technician educational program and/or completion of an Associate's Degree preferred.

Experience:

Previous pharmacy experience, hospital-based pharmacy experience preferred. Formal Pharmacy Technician program experiential education may be considered in lieu of work experience.

Licensure:

Certification as a Pharmacy Technician and licensure in the State of Michigan are required.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

1. Essential mathematics skills to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure.

2. Possesses effective computer and keyboarding skills; ability to work with Pharmacy Information Systems and automation used in the medication use process. Able to use email to communicate with other members of the department including pharmacy management.

3. Excellent critical thinking skills and ability to make decisions in a fast-paced work environment

4. A team oriented colleague that is detail oriented and passionate about medication and patient safety as well as quality initiatives.

5. Excellent customer service orientation skills necessary in order to deal effectively with various levels of hospital personnel, outside customers and community groups

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Reads and interprets physician's medication orders, assists with filling, processing and dispensing of medications, re-packages and labels medication, including bulk supplies, with final check performed by a pharmacist.

2. Maintains cleanliness and aseptic technique while following established departmental compounding practices and procedures when mixing intravenous admixtures including IVPBs, large volume parenteral, and total parenteral nutrition, if necessary. Drug preparation necessitates working aseptically in a horizontal or vertical laminar (biological safety cabinet) flow hood using aseptic technique. Adheres to USP 797/USP 800 Guidelines.

3. Delivers controlled substances and other medications to nursing units' automated medication dispensing cabinets (ADC). Delivers other medication, IV solutions and all necessary forms throughout the hospital on a regularly scheduled basis to patient care areas.

4. Prepares medications and subsequently loads and unloads medication into ADC with appropriate bar code scanning. Fills inventory needs for nursing unit ADCs, non-cabinet stock, and fills unit dose drawers by placing the proper drugs in the bins according to the computerized patient profile.

5. Supports the drug inventory process including rotation and restocking of drug dispensing areas with drugs and supplies needed to process patient medication orders. Ensures the maintenance of a clean and orderly work area.

6. Answers phones according to established phone etiquette and directs calls to the proper personnel. Determines when phone calls or emergency situations need to be referred to a pharmacist.

7. Completes nursing unit inspections, as assigned. Restocks crash cart trays and OCMCA boxes etc., as required in a timely manner. s the pharmacists or pharmacy management of any discrepancies.

8. Fills controlled substance orders and reconciles all discrepancies on a daily basis. Reports any discrepancies to the pharmacist or pharmacy management as appropriate. Monitors any unusual activity for potential drug diversion.

9. Prepares and packages chemotherapy medications and other medications requiring special handling for subsequent administration to patients under the supervision of the pharmacist. This includes verifying drug doses and preparing preliminary drug profiles for patients on established chemotherapy protocols. Safely handles and manipulates cytotoxic and other special drugs and incidental equipment used in drug preparation while working aseptically in a vertical flow hood or biological safety cabinet. Adheres to all safety measures for handling chemotherapy/hazardous materials.

10. Maintains all necessary paperwork, legal documents, and records for all medications, including chemotherapy prepared for administration. Utilizing the pharmacy computer system, bills and/or credits patients for medication used. Maintains investigational drug research records and validates doses ordered using investigational drug protocols.

11. Obtains medications accurately from the department's automated medication supplier (i.e., BoxPicker). Loads and removes medications from this unit using bar code scanning of medication and patient labels. Prepares and labels doses removed for pharmacist final check.

12. Operates the unit dose packaging machine in an accurate and efficient manner. This includes restocking medications and replacing supplies, monitoring machine alarms, and ensuring doses are correctly labeled and prepared for pharmacist check.

13. Utilizes the MedBoard software system and bar code scanning to track the delivery of medications to the nursing units.

14. Assumes responsibility for performance of job duties in the safest possible manner, to ensure personal safety and that of coworkers, and to report all preventable hazards and unsafe practices immediately to management.

15. Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being assigned to this job. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of individuals in the job.

For more information regarding career opportunities with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System please visit www.stjoeshealth.org/careers.

Successful candidate will be subject to mandatory vaccinations/immunizations unless they qualify for an available exemption.

This document is intended to describe the generalized duties and responsibilities, the specialized job functions, and the essential requirements of this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive statement of all supplemental duties, responsibilities, or non-essential requirements or reflect any accommodations made under the American's with Disability Act, the Michigan Handicapper's Act, or SJMHS's Return to Work Program.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.

Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.