Pharmacy Technician I - Sharp Chula Vista - Variable Shift - Full Time

300 Sharp HealthCare; Chula Vista (CA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharp HealthCare is seeking a Pharmacy Technician to support comprehensive pharmaceutical care under the supervision of a pharmacist. You will assist in dispensing and distribution, IV preparation, inventory control, and medication safety to uphold the hospital's standards.

You will utilize Pyxis technology, ensure accurate labeling, and adhere to USP guidelines and regulatory requirements to deliver safe, efficient pharmaceutical services across the system.

Qualifications

• California Pharmacy Technician License (TCH) required.
• Hospital pharmacy experience preferred (1 year).
• Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assist in drug dispensing and distribution under supervision.
• Prepare IV admixtures per USP 797/800 guidelines.
• Maintain inventory and Pyxis cabinet management.
• Ensure medication safety and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Tools

Pyxis

Barcode technology

Job description

Hours: Shift Start Time: Variable Shift End Time: Variable AWS Hours Requirement: 8/40 - 8 Hour Shift Additional Shift Information: Weekend Requirements: As Needed On-Call Required: No Hourly Pay Range (Minimum - Midpoint - Maximum): $26.130 - $32.670 - $36.590 This position is covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with SEIU-UHW. As part of the terms of employment, employees in this role are required to join the union within 31 days of hire and remain a member (e.g. dues paying, fee paying, religious exception contributor) for the duration of the collective bargaining agreement.

What You Will Do

Under the supervision of a pharmacist, utilizes technical knowledge, skill and expertise required to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care and services that support the mission, values and philosophy of Sharp HealthCare.

Position requirement includes the ability to perform the defined essential functions according to established procedures, assisting in drug dispensing and distribution, IV preparation, inventory control, medication safety and quality.

Required Qualifications

• California Pharmacy Technician License (TCH) - CA State Board of Pharmacy -REQUIRED

Preferred Qualifications

• 1 Year experience in hospital pharmacy environment or in IV sterile compounding.
• Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) - Pharmacy Technician Certification Board -PREFERRED

Essential Functions

Medication Dispensing

• Demonstrates consistent commitment to efficient pharmacy operations by printing, accurately filling and preparing first and subsequent doses, unit dose for patient cassettes, floor stocks, and medication requests.
• Consistently prioritizes and completes workload in a manner that promotes smooth pharmacy operations.
• Sustains a high level of accuracy by consistently selecting, ordering and restocking the correct medication, dosage, and strength.
• Always obtains pharmacist check prior to dispensing.
• Prepares, labels and documents the pre-packing / re-packaging of unit dose, bulk and compounded medications according to policy, procedure and regulatory standards.
• Demonstrates competency of Hazardous Medication / Chemotherapy Compounding and USP 800 guidelines.

Medication Delivery

• Delivers medications to the accurate locations.
• Exchanges medication cassettes within designated time frame, appropriately transfers bulk medications/ removes discontinued medications from non-exchange medication cassettes.
• Routinely checks nursing station refrigerators for discontinued medications.
• Responds to special delivery requests to meet criteria established for STAT, ASAP and NOW medication orders.

IV Preparation

• Demonstrates competency to perform work in the IV Room per USP 797 and 800 guidelines, policies and procedures.
• Prepares all IV admixtures in strict accordance with established guidelines while maintaining a high-level of accuracy.
• Runs fill lists (IV labels) and organizes workload to accomplish all admixture tasks in time to meet established batch delivery times.
• Performs primary check of labeling to confirm completeness of label according to established policies and procedures.
• Utilizes the pharmacy workflow management system and barcode technology for IV compounding per established policies and procedures.
• Always obtains pharmacist check prior to dispensing IV admixtures.
• Responds to requests to meet criteria established for STAT, ASAP and NOW IV admixtures.
• Recycles IVs where possible and removes expired products from circulation.
• Maintains IV preparation and dispensing areas in a clean/orderly manner and restocks prior to the end of shift.
• Communicates workload or operational issues to supervisors in a consistent and timely manner.

Inventory Control

• Monitors drug inventory, including PAR level management, to prevent stock-outs and communicates special or urgent inventory needs to Pharmacy Buyer.
• Ensures proper medication storage per established policies, procedures and manufacturer guidelines to prevent premature degradation or expirations.
• Removes outdated and unusable medications to segregated storage site.
• Maintains neat and organized work areas.
• Maintains integrity of Pharmacy Waste streams.

Pyxis Technology Management

• Must demonstrate proficiency in the use of Automated Dispensing Cabinets (i.e., Pyxis) by performing the following, not limited to: refilling, loading and unloading medications, utilizing barcode technology, completing RX checks, pulling override reports, fulfilling the stock out reports, assisting with inventory discrepancies.

Medication Safety

• Proactively identifies potential medication safety improvement opportunities such as look alike, sound alike medication storage and packaging issues, delivery / storage / security related issues, inventory management issues, etc.
• Participates in the development of medication safety initiatives to prevent occurrence or reoccurrence of medication safety events.
• Demonstrates awareness and adherence to medication safety communications and initiatives delivered by pharmacy management and Safe Medication Practice team.
• May participate in surveillance initiatives such as: Pyxis override report monitoring, controlled substance audits, medication safety event reporting, etc.

Regulatory Compliance

• Maintains competency and abides by all medication management standards in accordance to Sharp policies and procedures, along with Federal and State regulations.
• Completes assigned monthly procedural area/ drug storage area inspections in a timely manner utilizing appropriate tools for documentation.
• Assures all documentation and records are complete and maintained appropriately as per policies and procedures for compounding, hazardous/chemotherapy, pre-packing, controlled substance audits, Pyxis, etc.

Quality Assurance

• Consistently prioritizes and accomplishes assigned workload in a timely manner that promotes smooth pharmacy operations.
• Must actively demonstrate the ability to identify process improvement opportunities.
• Brings critical issues to the attention of management and participates in implementing the needed corrections.

Communication and Teamwork

• Consistently demonstrates self-motivation, cooperation, teamwork, initiative and flexibility toward the fulfillment of organizational and departmental goals.
• Establishes effective working relationships between internal and external customers by treating customers and co-workers with dignity and respect.
• Stays informed through staff meetings, electronic communication, in-services, and educational opportunities.
• Assures that incoming phone calls are answered promptly and with courtesy.
• Effectively communicates with co-workers and customers, verbal and non-verbal.
• Communicates issues as they arise to supervisor in a timely manner.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Must possess ability to communicate clearly and effectively with other members of the healthcare team and patients.
• Must be able to manage deadlines, prioritize and manage time appropriately to accomplish assigned tasks.
• Must be proficient in all technology utilized for drug distribution.
• Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
• Skilled use of Microsoft Office and Excel preferred.

Sharp HealthCare is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability or any other protected class.

Sharp HealthCare is a not-for-profit health care system based in San Diego, California, with four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, three medical groups and a health plan. We provide medical services in virtually all fields of medicine, including primary care, heart care, cancer, orthopedics, women's health, rehabilitation, robotic surgery and bariatric surgery. Sharp sets the community standard for exceptional care.

Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Sharp Memorial Hospital have received prestigious Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for excellence in nursing practices and quality patient care.

At the heart of our organization are more than 18,000 affiliated physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers who are on a journey to make health care better for our patients and their families. It's what we call The Sharp Experience - treating each person with dignity, compassion and respect, and using our clinical excellence and advanced technology to deliver the highest-quality patient care. We are dedicated to transforming the health care experience by making Sharp the best place to work, the best place to practice medicine and the best place to receive care in San Diego.