Pharmacy Technician Specialist - Quality Improvement, Retzky College of Pharmacy

University of Illinois Chicago•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Pharmacy Technician Specialist, Quality Improvement (QI), assists with coordinating and implementing the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Unit’s quality improvement program and helps ensure compliance with regulatory standards. The role also coordinates training and orientation for new pharmacy technicians, pharmacy externs, pharmacists, and other pharmacy staff. The position supports communication, compliance, quality improvement, auditing and reporting, staff training, and administrative functions across Ambulatory Care Pharmacy and UI Health clinics. It develops QI audit protocols, evaluates audit results and quality metrics, prepares reports, supports policy review, and monitors medication storage and safety practices. The specialist coordinates staff training and inspections, maintains compliance records and databases, supports pharmacy committees, and performs other duties as assigned. The position is based on-site in Chicago, Illinois, and requires Illinois residency. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The hourly salary range is $34.91 to $46.99, commensurate with experience. The role is intended to be eligible for benefits, including health, dental, vision, and life insurance, a retirement plan, paid time off, and tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

Requirements

At least five years of progressively more responsible experience comparable to experience gained at the Pharmacy Technician III level.
Current registration as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.
State of Illinois Pharmacy Technician License.
Illinois residency is required.

Responsibilities

Interact with pharmacy technicians, externs, and pharmacists to support continuous quality improvement.
Serve as a liaison with the Pharmacy Information System team and patient care providers regarding FDA medication recalls, market withdrawals, and notifications, in compliance with state and federal requirements.
Manage communications about audit results, reporting, and compliance follow-up between Ambulatory Care Pharmacy and on-site and off-site clinics.
Attend meetings and maintain working relationships with Ambulatory Care Pharmacy staff, UI Health communities, and outside UI Health partners to support special projects.
Ensure pharmacy compliance with departmental policies and procedures, state and federal laws, The Joint Commission standards, and other applicable standards concerning medication use and safety.
Document successful completion of required training and provide documentation to pharmacy managers for applicable staff.
Ensure the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Unit completes annual Learning Management System modules and Fraud, Waste, and Abuse training requirements.
Serve as a resource on interdisciplinary pharmacy and hospital committees to support compliance with relevant departments and organizations.
Develop protocols for new quality improvement audits; analyze audit strengths and weaknesses; evaluate data; and prepare scheduled reports of quality improvement indicators and metrics for the Assistant Director.
Assist the policy committee with reviewing and updating Ambulatory Care Pharmacy policies.
Monitor, audit, and conduct random quality inspections of drug boxes, crash carts, and medication refrigerators in UI Health Ambulatory Clinics for proper storage, expired medications, and policy adherence.
Collaborate monthly with the WAM/Safety Committee on safe medication practices, medication hazard and error prevention, and error reporting.
Conduct audits of data sources and coordinate documentation records to ensure compliance with laws and Joint Commission standards.
Collect and review monthly data from pharmacy managers and lead technicians to maintain complete and accurate databases and logs.
Coordinate collection of operational and financial performance data, summarize it, and report it to the Assistant Director and pharmacy managers.
Prepare and interpret quality-control reports and recommend corrective action plans to staff, pharmacy managers, committees, and the Assistant Director.
Evaluate and report Medication Management Standards compliance to the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Nursing Operations Committee, and provide clinic managers with short-term resolutions and long-term action plans.
Conduct, oversee, coordinate, and provide training on monthly medication-area inspections in UI Health clinics to ensure compliance with Ambulatory Care policies, IDPH regulations, and Joint Commission Medication Management Standards.
Supervise, coordinate, and evaluate the work of the Quality Improvement Extern in Ambulatory Care Pharmacy.
Orient new Ambulatory Care Pharmacy employees to customer service standards, policies, procedures, and UI Health behavioral values.
Identify, develop, implement, and track training and certification programs for pharmacy technicians, externs, pharmacists, and other pharmacy staff.
Assist with coordinating pharmacy mentoring programs for high school students as needed.
Assist with planning and coordinating training, continuing education, staff development activities, and unit orientation.
Implement and review performance standards, evaluation processes, and procedures for tracking pharmacy staff training and certification programs.
Organize records and databases to support efficient audit processes.
Assist with screening, interviewing, and selecting pharmacy extern candidates for the QI extern position.
Perform other duties assigned to assist the pharmacy unit.