Pharmacy Technician - Extra Help (Open)

San Mateo Medical Center is seeking a Pharmacy Technician to perform a variety of routine tasks related to receiving, dispensing, distributing, controlling, maintaining, compounding, packaging and labeling of pharmaceutical products and medications in both the inpatient and outpatient Medical Center Pharmacy located at 222 West 39th Avenue in San Mateo. The pharmacy is open Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Weekends and Holidays, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. If interested in this position, you must be able to work rotating hours on the day and evening shifts, be available for on-call, and may work weekends and holidays.
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of two years of experience: either at least one year in an acute hospital pharmacy, which included the use of aseptic technique for the preparation of I.V. admixture, or in a retail/community pharmacy setting or other practice setting (e.g., long-term care pharmacy). Experience in an inpatient pharmacy or similar setting is preferred, but not required. In addition, excellent customer service skills are a must!
There is currently one part-time Extra-Help vacancy.
NOTE: For Extra Help positions - Extra-help positions are short-term employment for up to 1040 hours which is equivalent to about six months; however, employment might end sooner depending on the needs of the hiring departments. Extra-help assignments are at-will and the employee is paid on an hourly basis. Some extra help positions are eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act. Extra-help workers are not guaranteed permanent status at the end of the extra-help assignment.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Advise immediate superior of malfunctioning equipment.
• Prepare daily I.V. Status Forms and deliver I.V. medication to nursing units.
• Assist in preparation and maintenance of department records.
• Transcribe physician orders to medication profiles and assemble orders for pharmacist review.
• Assist in maintaining the pharmacy work areas in a neat, clean, and orderly condition.
• Use a variety of packaging machines, weighing, labeling and measuring devices to package or otherwise prepare drugs in unit dose and multi-dose forms.
• Operate computer terminal for order entry and label generation.
• Transcribe I.V. (intravenous) orders from written physician orders to Pharmacy I.V. profiles.
• Prepare labels for various pharmaceutical preparations including manufactured, prepackaged, unit dose and outpatient prescription containers.
• Maintain adequate supplies, drugs, and equipment necessary for the preparation of I.V. admixtures.
• Assist in maintenance of inventory and stock, including ordering, distributing, receiving, unpacking, marking, pricing, controlling, and record keeping.
• Process I.V. admixture charges when appropriate.
• Prepare and label sterile solutions using aseptic technique.
• Assist in transporting pharmaceuticals, solutions, and physician orders to and from nursing areas, and other health care sites.
• Prepare I.V. admixture labels and admixtures according to proper aseptic techniques.
• Observe and report to immediate supervisor any unusual circumstances including those relating to drugs, drug requests, usage or security within the hospital.
• Performs non-discretionary aspects of dispensing function in an outpatient pharmacy.
• Fill initial drug order and refill supplies of medication to unit dose system.
• Perform preliminary review of new orders to screen for duplications or other routine problems and report same to pharmacist.
• Performs related duties as assigned.
• Clean sterile compounding isolator on a daily basis, according to established department procedures.

Education and Experience: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• Basic arithmetic.
• Medical terminology and abbreviations.
• State and federal pharmacy regulations as they pertain to specific assignments.
• Units of measurement by weight and volume.
• Methods and procedures involved in proper handling and storing of pharmaceutical supplies.
• Basic pharmacology and pharmacological nomenclature.
• Operation of various machines and devices utilized in a pharmacy.
• Various methods of payment of patient's pharmacy bills.

• Communicate clearly and effectively.
• Understand and carry out oral and written instructions.
• Use basic weighing and measuring devices.
• Deal tactfully and work cooperatively with hospital staff and patients.
• Perform routine mathematical calculations.
• Understand and apply policies and procedures pertaining to the job assignments.
• Type simple forms, records and reports.
• Operate a computer terminal.
• Perform weighing, measuring and documentation with accuracy.

• Copy of your Technician License
• Resumé
• Cover letter
• Describe your experience as a Pharmacy Technician. Include description of duties and responsibilities.
• Responses to the following supplemental question:
  • Describe your experience as a Pharmacy Technician. Include description of duties and responsibilities.

The County of San Mateo may require that all employees provide proof of COVID-19 vaccine or comply with weekly COVID-19 testing. Employees hired into specified health care facilities and other high-risk settings where there is potential for frequent COVID-19 exposure to staff and highly vulnerable patients are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. For more specific information, please refer to the County's COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Policy