Pharmacy Technician (Casual) - Inpatient

Casual Pharmacy Technician position that will be scheduled to work days, evenings, and weekends. Must be able to work a minimum of 2 shifts per month to maintain a casual status (one of which must be a weekend shift). This position is based at the main St. Paul location.

Responsible for assisting pharmacists in the delivery of pharmacy services, which maximize outcomes in a manner consistent with Gillette and the department's mission, philosophies and in accordance with laws, regulations and hospital policies and procedures.  Prepares and distributes drug orders per physician request, pharmacist request or prearranged work assignment according to established policies, procedures and protocols, and within specified time frames.  Pharmacy Technicians do not perform duties that can legally be performed only by a registered pharmacist. Specific duties are determined by the work setting or patient population served; however, in all positions, serving patients with challenging and complex conditions requires a concentration of specialized staff able to work in highly coordinated teams. We organize care around each patient’s condition which requires staff at multiple levels and across many departments to exhibit exceptional teamwork qualities including communicating efficiently and effectively and adopting the behaviors required for high functioning integrated teams.

Compensation & Benefits:

The hourly wage for this opportunity is $21.83/hour to $32.72/hour, with a median wage of $27.28/hour. $1.00/hour for evenings and $1.25/hour for weekends differential is available for this position. Pay is dependent on several factors including relevant work experience, education, certification & licensure, and internal equity. Hourly pay is just one part of the compensation package for employees. Gillette supports career progression and offers a competitive benefits package that includes a retirement savings match, tuition and certification reimbursement, paid time off, and health and wellness benefits for 0.5 FTE and above. 

Core Responsibilities and Duties: 

Prepares and distributes drug orders per physician request, pharmacist request or prearranged work assignment according to established policies, procedures and protocols, and within specified time frames.  

• Fills and labels medication orders, surgical kits, medication carts or medication requisitions and specialty items/bins accurately.
• Maintains and fills automated dispensing machines (ADM) following established departmental procedures.
• Prepares sterile and non-sterile compounded products by following formula instructions for calculating, measuring, mixing and labeling.
• Prepares sterile products (including chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition) accurately with standardized aseptic techniques.
• Delivers medications and supplies to patient care and ancillary areas accurately and in a timely manner.
• Processes medications returned from the nursing units for credit and proper disposal.
• Dispenses narcotics and maintain the perpetual inventory of narcotics in the narcotic safe and ADM machines.
• Fills drug supply requisitions requests from other Gillette departments, clinics, or hospital.
• Prepackages medications into unit-does containers.
• Enters patients accurately into the outpatient system to process discharge prescription. Prepares and process discharge medications to be verified by a pharmacist.
• Performs daily narcotic inventory in the locked cabinets and safe and ensures all scheduled narcotics are secure.
• Prints various reports from multiple computer systems to assist in dispensing medication and resolving discrepancies.

Maintains adequate stock of medications and supplies.  Notifies the pharmacy purchaser to purchase additional medication and supply when stock is low or when there is an anticipated increase in usage.  

• Restocks and orders supplies from materials management.
• Assists in receiving, unpacking and storing pharmaceuticals and supplies to appropriate locations.
• Rotates stock and performs station checks to identify and replace outdated and unusable drugs in the pharmacy, clinic, and nursing units.
• Restocks ADM machines, emergency crash carts, operating room carts and floor stock accurately.
• Checks the drug inventory monthly for expired medications at the nursing units and in the pharmacy.
• Assist in maintaining an accurate perpetual inventory.

Provides customer service to all “customers” including patients, their families, and the general public, in a timely manner exhibiting courtesy, respect, and teamwork that promotes excellence and a positive image of Gillette and its services.  

• Answers the phone according to department standards and routes to the pharmacist when appropriate
• Calls insurance companies to verify patient eligibility to properly adjudicate prescription claims to third party insurances for payment.
• Provides accurate and timely information.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the MN Board of Pharmacy is required, unless licensed as a Pharmacy Intern in which case a technician registration is not required.
• Pharmacy Technician Certification is required within one year of employment (through PTCB), unless licensed as a Pharmacy Intern.
• Prior to compounding intravenous preparations, must successfully complete an initial garbing competency evaluation no fewer than 3 separate times in succession within the first 6 months of employment. 

Preferred:

• 1 year experience in institutional pharmacy
• 1 year experience and training in preparation of sterile products

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated attention to details and ability to prioritize, organize and multi-task in a busy environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Works under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist while still making independent decisions.
• Functions within the scope allowed by policies and procedures of Gillette Pharmacy and state and federal law.
• Reports to the Pharmacy Technician Supervisor.

At Gillette Children’s, we foster a culture where every team member feels a sense of belonging and purpose. We are dedicated to building an environment where all feel welcomed, respected, and supported. Our values are embedded at the heart of our culture. We act first from love, embrace the bigger picture, and work side-by-side with our patients, families, and colleagues to help every child create their own story. Together, we work to ensure patients of all backgrounds and abilities reach their full potential.

Gillette Children's is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of an individual's race, color, creed, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation or gender identity, military status or any other class protected by federal, state or local laws.

Gillette Children’s is a global beacon of care for patients with brain, bone and movement conditions that start in childhood. Our research, treatment and supportive technologies enable every child to lead a full life defined by their dreams, not their diagnoses.

To learn more about working at Gillette Children's, please visit https://www.gillettechildrens.org/careers.

Gillette Children's participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) E-Verify program which is an internet-based employment eligibility verification system operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, Gillette will give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact DHS or the Social Security Administration (SSA) to resolve the issue before Gillette takes any further action. Please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/ for further details regarding e-verify.