Pharmacy Technician - Central Pharmacy Operations

Yale New Haven Health•New Haven, CT

About The Position

The Pharmacy Technician performs technical duties associated with pharmaceutical services, including medication distribution, inventory management, cross-functional pharmacy operations, and technology support. The role supports pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical care while following departmental policies, regulatory standards, safety requirements, and the organization’s patient-centered values. Patient safety, accurate medication handling, fiscal responsibility, and professional communication are central to the position. The technician prepares, packages, labels, stores, and delivers medications; maintains inventory and appropriate storage conditions; and may work in specialized areas such as IV admixture, purchasing, operating room, pediatrics, investigational drug service, compounding, packaging, oncology, specialty pharmacy, or medication history. The role also involves use and troubleshooting of pharmacy technology, responding to staff inquiries, maintaining required records, and handling hazardous and non-hazardous waste appropriately. The employee may be expected to work on-call shifts, and coverage extends across day, evening, and overnight shifts. The employee is considered essential personnel and is expected to work when scheduled during inclement weather. Work includes walking, sitting, standing, and crouching; lifting or moving items up to 50 pounds; and occasional exposure to moving mechanical parts, airborne particles, fumes, and toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level is moderate.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least six months of pharmacy technician or healthcare experience; successful completion of an academic or military pharmacy technician training program may count as one year of pharmacy technician experience.
Current registration or licensure, or eligibility for registration, as a pharmacy technician in the state of employment; registration or licensure must be obtained before the start date.
Active Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) certification or equivalent, required on or within 12 months of the date of hire.
Excellent customer service and communication skills.
Proficiency in mathematical calculations.
Ability to work effectively with computer and technology equipment and perform basic troubleshooting.
Ability to walk, sit, stand, and crouch; regularly lift or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds.
Ability to work on-call shifts and across day, evening, and overnight coverage, and to work scheduled shifts during inclement weather.

Nice To Haves

College degree.
Successful completion of an academic or military hospital pharmacy technician training course.
Hospital experience.

Responsibilities

Accurately pick, prepare, package, label, sort, and deliver medications to appropriate patient-care storage areas, including automated dispensing cabinets and medication refrigerators.
Use appropriate packaging for medication products, such as bags, vials, bottles, jars, syringes, or oral syringes.
Fulfill and deliver stat orders, new orders, refills, stock-out requests, transfers, and recalls in a timely manner.
Maintain medication storage to reduce errors, maintain par levels, minimize stock-outs, preserve appropriate storage conditions, and rotate stock by expiration date.
Assist pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical care and escalate concerns related to pharmacy care or medication distribution.
Replenish medications for emergency trays, including code carts, anesthesia supplies, and tackle boxes.
Handle and dispose of hazardous and non-hazardous waste appropriately, and maintain a clean, well-stocked work area.
Complete pharmacy services within established timeframes.
Maintain medication inventory at appropriate par levels and rotate stock based on expiration dates and usage patterns.
Remove expired or soon-to-expire medications from distribution inventory according to departmental guidelines.
Receive wholesaler medications and accurately replenish pharmacy stock.
Use a handheld tablet with barcode-scanning functionality consistently.
Demonstrate proficiency in medication distribution and automation/technology processes and in at least one additional designated pharmacy practice area.
Perform calculations and drug-product manipulation, dilution, or compounding to prepare and label unit-dose oral solids, liquids, or injectables according to policies and regulatory standards.
Prepare hazardous-category products in accordance with departmental safety guidelines, OSHA regulations, and industry standards.
Document manufactured medications, controlled-substance movement, packaged medications, and investigational drugs as required by policy and regulation.
Practice aseptic technique, infection control, and universal precautions as instructed for the work area.
Use and troubleshoot pharmacy technology, including electronic medical records, automated dispensing systems, inventory software, carousels, packaging software, workflow managers, barcode-labeling programs, and RFID technology, as applicable.
Respond to nursing, provider, and ancillary staff inquiries professionally and in a timely manner; manage, triage, and follow up on inquiries as appropriate.
Follow HIPAA requirements in all forms of communication and maintain appropriate records for compounding, packaging, and controlled-substance distribution.
Work assigned on-call shifts and scheduled coverage during inclement weather as essential personnel.