Pharmacy Technician Responsibilities and Duties

Scope of Practice for Pharmacy Technicians

  • Definition: Refers to the range of tasks pharmacy technicians can perform under their license, registration, or certification.

  • Clinical Judgment: Pharmacy technicians' responsibilities do not involve making clinical judgments.

Duties and Responsibilities of Pharmacy Technicians

Communication and Query Handling

  • Phone Communication:

    • Answer calls and handle inquiries that do not require pharmacist expertise (e.g., insulin prices, prescription refills).

    • Direct complex inquiries needing clinical judgment (e.g., drug interactions with warfarin and aspirin) to pharmacists.

Prescription Processing

  • Processing Prescriptions:

    • Process written and telephone refill requests, including entering prescriptions into the database.

    • Submit refill requests to providers via fax or phone.

    • Add authorization for additional refills after receiving physician approval.

Patient Information Management

  • Gathering PHI:

    • Collect Protected Health Information (PHI) for patient profiles used for final product verification by the pharmacist.

    • Ensure all client data is handled confidentially and stored appropriately.

Inventory and Pharmacy Supplies Management

  • Stock Management:

    • Keep pharmacy shelves stocked with necessary supplies (e.g., vials, caps) and reorder when needed.

    • Organize prescriptions alphabetically and ensure proper storage of medications like refrigerated items.

Prescription Preparation

  • Preparation Steps:

    • Count or pour medications, label containers, and price prescriptions.

    • Perform calculations and reconstitute (mix) medications as needed.

Medication Orders and Insurance Processes

  • Medication Orders:

    • Order and stock medications from suppliers, comparing incoming invoices for accuracy.

  • Insurance Claims:

    • Prepare and submit insurance claims for online adjudication and assist patients with OTC medication queries.

Housekeeping and Cleanliness Maintenance

  • Pharmacy Environment:

    • Maintain a clean pharmacy department and perform regular cleaning duties, such as disinfecting counting trays and laminar flow hoods with isopropyl alcohol.

Compounding and Product Management

  • Compounding:

    • Compound sterile and non-sterile products including antibiotics, chemotherapy, and total parenteral nutrition (TPN).

    • Manage inventory by removing recalls or expired products and quarantining to avoid accidental dispensing.

Regulatory Compliance

  • Compliance:

    • Ensure adherence to pharmacy laws and regulations; seek clarification from pharmacists for any questions regarding task delegation.

Duties of Pharmacists

  • Prescription Management:

    • Receive oral prescriptions and changes from authorized prescribers.

    • Consult with prescribers regarding prescription adjustments based on patient needs and insurance formularies.

  • Final Verification and Consultation:

    • Conduct final product verification before dispensing and consult with patients about medications.

  • Medication Therapy Management:

    • Oversee medication therapy management and recommend appropriate OTC medications based on patients' symptoms.

  • Supervision:

    • Oversee pharmacy technician functions and ensure that clinical judgments remain strictly within the pharmacist's purview.