Part-time or Full-time - Weekdays - Dispensary - Registered Pharmacy Technician

at  Mint Health Drugs

The Pharmacy Technician plays a vital role in the operations of Mint Pharmacies, by assisting the Pharmacist in ensuring the dispensary area is functional, clean, and operational to ensure the highest quality customer service to patients and clients. The Pharmacy Technician will help the Pharmacist prepare drug orders and maintain proper inventory. The Pharmacy Technician will additionally support community health by providing clinical services within their scope. While in Provisional status, the Pharmacy Technician will conduct all activities under the direct supervision of the Pharmacist. Upon attaining the Registration status, the Pharmacy Technician will continue to conduct all activities under the supervision of the Pharmacist. Supervision of a Registered Technician will be direct or indirect. Pharmacy Technicians are vital to the success of Mint’s Mission to help people feel better. Through patient centered care, the Pharmacy Technician provides top-tier service to our community while maintaining and promoting Mint’s reputation of excellence and demonstrating our values.
M - Motivating to improve
I - Innovating best practices
N - Nurturing our communities
T - Teaching and sharing
As a valued member of a service oriented team, it is imperative that the Pharmacy Technician role model the customer service expectations we have for all frontline staff. These standards should be reflected in all interpersonal interactions with patients and customers, contributing to the overall success of Mint by improving community relationships as well as maintaining or enhancing Mint’s reputation as both a pharmacy provider and a community based service entity.
Reports to: Pharmacy Manager

Competencies Required

• Consistently demonstrates adaptability when:
• switching tasks - able to pause administrative responsibilities and demonstrate professional level communication and customers service when executing receptionist responsibilities
• required to work outside regular hours to ensure execution of responsibilities.
• Consistently demonstrates the ability to use solution focused/positive language when
• Dealing with all patients, customers, team members and other stakeholders.
• Consistently demonstrates superior organizational skills
• Consistently demonstrates mastery of technology required.
• Consistently demonstrates reliability/dependability by executing responsibilities conscientiously and independently
• Consistently demonstrates alignment with the values of Mint Health + Drugs by:
• willingness and ability to learn and take on new responsibilities as appropriate for position.
• willingness and ability to recommend or accept innovative strategies to complete work in a more timely and/or effective manner
• Consistently demonstrates ability to empathize and remain calm under pressure

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• College graduate from an accredited Pharmacy Technician Program
• Experience as a pharmacy technician

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

• Computer proficiency with Word, Excel spreadsheets, Kroll, Netcare, and other database programs
• Very strong interpersonal, communication and customer service skills
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Communicates effectively at all levels
• Takes initiative
• Excellent phone manner, speaks clearly and professionally
• Very strong attention to details

Medication Management

• Accept a new written prescription or a request for a prescription refill from the patient or patient’s agent.
• Create and maintain computerized patient record.
• Gather and document information required to provide pharmacy related services.
• Assist the pharmacist in identifying the patient’s health needs and expectations.
• Assess prescription for completeness and authenticity through information gathering.
• Receive a verbal order from a prescriber for a Schedule 1 drug, reduce to writing and sign or initial.
• Document changes to prescriptions as a result of an authorization from the original prescriber.
• Transfer prescriptions that can legally be transferred to another pharmacy on behalf of a pharmacist.
• Enter prescription order into dispensing system to generate a label and (if necessary) a receipt.
• Verify correct prescription pricing.
• Alert pharmacist of potential or actual drug interactions, medication adherence issues, or any other drug therapy problem or situation where the pharmacist is required to intervene.
• Retrieve, count, pour, weigh, measure, mix, reconstitute, compound medications.
• Select appropriate prescription container.
• Affix prescription label and appropriate auxiliary labels to prescription container.
• Perform a final check of new or refill prescription to ensure that each step in the dispensing process has been completed properly. Including verification that the patient name, prescriber, drug name, DIN, dosage form, strength, frequency, quantity dispensed, refills, interval (if applicable), prescription label, and auxiliary labels are correct.
• Dispense refill or new prescriptions following appropriate procedures.
• Perform a final check of a prescription for a narcotic, controlled drug or targeted substance.
• Document activities completed in the dispensing process to create a clear audit trail.
• Create a written transaction record for each drug dispensed.
• File filled prescriptions for pickup under appropriate storage conditions.
• Verify that each patient receives the correct prescription.
• Ensure that each patient has been assessed by the pharmacist, and any prescriptions or sale of Schedule 2 products has been assessed.
• Ensure packaging/dispensing/compounding equipment and facilities are kept both functional and clean.
• Replenish medications of dosettes, nursing units, night cupboards, emergency boxes, cardiac arrest kits, and in any other required circumstances.
• Prepare compound drugs according to a written formula and preparation process.
• Assign a beyond use date based on reputable sources of information for compound drugs.
• Perform a final check for compound drugs that verify the strength, drug, manufacturer, quantity compounded, calculations, label and packaging material, as well as the quantity, lot and expiry of individual ingredients.
• Educate on devices such as but not limited to inhalers, blood pressure machines and self-testing blood glucose machines.
• Answer questions from patients about Schedule 3 drugs, health care products, aids or devices that do not require therapeutic knowledge, clinical analysis or assessment.
• Enter into a dialogue and provide assistance to patients choosing health care products, aids or devices.
• Provide instruction to patients about how to operate or use health care products, aids or devices.
• Refer to the pharmacist where appropriate.
• Prepare narcotic reports.
• Prepare third party reports and bill accordingly.
• Physically prepare compounds.
• Accept new prescriptions and gather the required customer information.
• Submit claims to third party insurers, prepare labels and receipts.
• Prepare all prescriptions including selecting the product from inventory, obtaining the correct amount of product, selecting an appropriate container and labeling the product.
• File all prescriptions. Look up previous prescriptions when needed.

Customer Service and Service Excellence

• Greet patients at the dispensary counter and address and assist all customers near the dispensary.
• Communicate clearly with patients, peers, management, and other health care professionals through a variety of media using effective and appropriate communication skills.
• Answer telephones to screen calls for the pharmacist and respond to requests where appropriate.
• Maintain confidentiality of patient information.
• Act as a mentor to new pharmacy staff.
• Assist other pharmacy technicians and assistants.
• Educate patients on technical aspects of appropriate use of home monitoring and drug delivery devices.
• Document an account of involvement in any drug errors as part of the Quality Assurance Program of the pharmacy.
• Document the pharmacy technician’s activities in the patient record.
• Make corrections in patient records when required.
• Act as a witness when a pharmacist destroys narcotic or controlled drugs based on authorization from Health Canada.
• Supervise a provisional pharmacy technician or a student pharmacy technician in the performance of restricted activities
• Supervise an employee engaged in compounding or providing drugs for sale.
• Provide patient with filled prescriptions when they arrive for pick up.
• Accept requests for refills in person and via telephone
• Maintain the cleanliness of the pharmacy counter, shelves and dispensing equipment.
• Refer all health, prescription and OTC drug questions and any other questions to which an answer is not known, to the pharmacist.

Inventory Management

• Monitor stock and supply levels to ensure sufficient quantities for optimal operation.
• Prepare and order stock and supplies from indicated sources.
• Source alternatives (brand, strength, stock size) from other authentic suppliers when necessary to prevent disruption of the supply chain.
• Receive and verify stock and supplies purchased and follow up with discrepancies.
• Generate required paperwork to submit and receive orders in Kroll.
• Restock dispensary shelves, ensuring stock is rotated as per expiry dates.
• Routinely monitor expiry dates of medications and segregate expired products for disposal, destruction, or return.
• Ensure drugs are both transported and stored under the appropriate conditions (i.e., temperature, security).
• Routinely audit inventory for discrepancies.
• Routinely reconcile inventory for narcotic/controlled/targeted substances.
• Issue supplies from the storeroom.
• Prepackage medications (including unit dose packaging).
• Deliver medications to institutional wards.
• Restock institutional wards with narcotics/controlled/targeted substances. Prepare and submit the drug order.
• Receive the drug order, which includes restocking the shelves and entering the inventory into the computer.
• Enter the narcotics and controlled drugs received and dispensed into the Narcotics Register.
• Ensure that the dispensary is always stocked with adequate supplies including prescription containers, bags, and other supplies.

Clinical Support

• Generate reports to identify opportunities for clinical services
• Prepare a patient focused care plan for the Pharmacist
• Prepare a patient focused follow-up plan for the Pharmacist
• Execute the billing for clinical services
• Clinical targets will be set by the Pharmacy Manager and subject to change from time to time.