Pharmacy Technician Roles and Responsibilities

Pharmacy Technician Duties

Tasks that pharmacy technicians can perform that fall under license, registration, or certification, which do not require clinical judgement.

Answer the telephone

Handle questions that do not require a pharmacist's expertise or judgment and triage all other phone calls to the pharmacist.

Process written prescriptions

Enter prescriptions into the database and fill them; refill requests are submitted to providers' offices via fax or phone.

Gather protected health information (PHI)

Collect necessary information to complete patient profiles, ensuring patient confidentiality.

Scan and store written prescription forms

Store hard copies of prescriptions in appropriate files based on controlled substance categories.

Enter data into the pharmacy's computer system

Ensure prescription labels are accurate through attention to detail during data entry.

Notify the pharmacist of drug utilization review (DUR) warnings

Inform the pharmacist of any concerns regarding the review of a patient's profile with prescribed medications.

Prepare prescriptions

Count or pour medications, label containers, and price prescriptions, including performing calculations and reconstituting powders.

Keep pharmacy department supplies stocked

Restock supplies at the end of each shift and note items that need to be reordered.

Place completed prescriptions in the pick-up area

Organize prescriptions alphabetically by the patient's last name and ensure proper storage of refrigerated medications.

Order medications

Stock pharmacy department shelves with medications upon arrival from suppliers and compare invoices against received medications.

Prepare insurance claims

Complete claims for online adjudication and call insurance companies for assistance as necessary.

Help patients locate OTC medications

Assist patients in finding over-the-counter medications and stock OTC departments.

Complete purchase transactions

Process transactions on cash registers and record in logs when necessary.

Drug Utilization Review (DUR)

Process of reviewing a patient's profile with prescribed medications to ensure patient safety.

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Any health information used to identify an individual.

Confidentiality

Keeping privileged customer information from being disclosed without the customer's consent.

Behind-the-counter sales

Sales of pseudoephedrine and some Schedule V drugs that must be documented.

Adjudication

Process of submitting third-party insurance claims for payment.

Over-the-counter (OTC)

Medication available for purchase without a prescription.

Housekeeping duties

Tasks within the pharmacy department, such as maintaining a clean work environment in the pharmacy and patient care areas.

Cleaning trays

Counting trays in the community pharmacy are cleaned with 70% isopropyl alcohol throughout the day.

Laminar flow hoods

In the hospital setting, laminar flow hoods are cleaned with sterile 70% isopropyl alcohol on a routine schedule.

Restock medication dispensing machines

Restock medication dispensing machines, floor stock request, and crash carts. Check expiration dates and add or delete inventory based on the unit's needs.

Compound sterile and nonsterile products

Includes eye drops, antibiotics, chemotherapy, and total parenteral nutrition.

Remove recalled products

Remove recalled, discontinued, expired, and overstocked products from inventory. Quarantine products to prevent accidental dispensing.

Behind-the-counter (BTC)

Nonprescription medications that are kept behind the pharmacy counter. Limited amounts may be sold, or the customer might require the permission of a pharmacist to purchase them.

Identify medication prescribing patterns

Identify medication prescribing and use patterns requiring pharmacist intervention (abnormally large prescription quantities, multiple early refills on controlled medications).

Repack bulk medication

Repack bulk medication in unit dose packaging.

Unit inspections

Perform unit inspections of all areas in an institution where medications are stored monthly.

Medication reconciliation process

Document hospital patients' lists of medications prescribed and medications taken through medication reconciliation process.

Offer vaccines

Offer vaccines to patients and complete the associated paperwork. Draw up vaccines in appropriate size syringes.

Ensure adherence

Ensure adherence to policies, procedures, laws, and regulatory bodies.

Pharmacist duties

Certain tasks in the pharmacy must be performed by a licensed pharmacist, including all tasks that require clinical judgement.

Receive oral prescriptions

Receive oral prescriptions from prescribers or prescribers' authorized designees, primarily for new telephone prescriptions and refill authorizations with changes.

Consult with prescribers

Consult with prescribers or prescribers' designees about patient prescriptions and recommend changes based on DUR, insurance formularies, and patient request.

Final product verification

Perform and document final product verification prior to dispensing to patients.

Consult with patients

Consult with patients about prescribed medication use, adherence, and other health issues.

Medication therapy management (MTM)

A service provided by a pharmacist to improve patient outcomes through a review of a patient's profile and prescribed medications.

Recommend OTC medications

Recommend OTC medications based on patients' symptoms.

Oversee pharmacy technician functions

Oversee all of the functions performed by the pharmacy technician.