CHEMO PHARMACY TECHNICIAN - OUTPATIENT

Overview

Tri-City Medical Center has served San Diego County’s coastal communities of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista, as well as the surrounding region for more than 60 years and is one of the largest employers in North San Diego County. Tri-City is administered by the Tri-City Healthcare District, a California Hospital District. As a full-service acute care public hospital with over 500 physicians practicing in over 60 specialties, Tri-City is vital to the well-being of our community and serves as a healthcare safety net for many of our citizens. The hospital has received a Gold Seal of Approval® from the Joint Commission showcasing a commitment to safe and effective patient care for the residents of the community. 

Tri-City Medical Center prides itself on being the home to leading orthopedic, spine and cardiovascular health services while also specializing in world-class robotic surgery, cancer and emergency care. Tri-City’s Emergency Department is there for your loved ones in their time of need and is highly regarded for our heart attack and stroke treatment programs. When minutes matter, Tri-City is your source for quality compassionate care close to home. Tri-City partners with over 90 local non-profit and community organizations as part of our COASTAL Commitment initiative. Together we are helping tackle some of our communities’ pressing health and social needs.

Position Summary:

Under the oversight of a pharmacist, prepares chemotherapies, biologics, immunotherapies and other IV additives and solutions as required using aseptic technique, and distributes medications. Responsible for ordering and restocking supplies, maintaining the IV room according to USP797 standards, and reconciling daily patient scheduling with inventory needs. 

Major Position Responsibilities:

Compounding Responsibilities:

• Maintains current training and knowledge required to correctly prepare chemotherapies, biologics and immunotherapies including new drugs approved by the FDA.
• Correctly identifies nonhazardous, hazardous and chemotherapeutic agents.
• Safe manipulations of hazardous drug compounding materials within BSC including use of negative pressures, placement of products in regards to airflow, use of closed systems, reconstituting from vials/ampules and transfer to delivery devices.
• Selects appropriate bag, tubing and labels specific to various hazardous medications.
• Prepares all admixtures utilizing aseptic technique.
• Proper storage, handling and disposing of hazardous/chemotherapeutic waste.
• Prioritizes admixture preparation for multiple patients based on order of administration, infusion times and drug stability within chemotherapy specific regimens.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor or manager.

Inventory Management and Administrative Responsibilities:

• Tracks inventory on a regular basis and controls procurement of medications from Wholesaler to manage “just-in-time” inventory to reduce costs of drugs on hand.
• Use of Wholesaler ordering system including appropriate selection of least costly medications, communication with customer service and report generating functions.
• Mitigates inventory issues such as backorders, drop ship items and shortages to ensure drug is available when needed.
• Coordinates borrowing of medications from other institutions when item cannot be purchased from supplier.
• Communicates to pharmacist when drug is on shortage or backordered so appropriate actions  can be taken.
• Coordinates, tracks and manages all white bag medications (patient specific supplies pre-purchased and delivered directly to infusion center), including patient assistance program drugs.
• Manages all medication inflow and outflow through documentation of invoice reconciliation, recalls, waste, monthly productivity and patient specific tracking labels.
• Responsible for training technicians/pharmacists on compounding hazardous drugs, proper compounding technique in a BSC and use of closed system preparation equipment.
• Assists with maintenance and update of chemotherapy recipe cards to assist in preparation of various agents per CA state board of pharmacy standards.
• Patient schedule reconciliation, management of adds on patients and assurance of appropriate inventory on hand.
• Generation of patient specific labels and tracking of lot numbers.
• Manual charging and crediting of medications when necessary.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor or manager.

Quality Assurance Responsibilities:

• Monitoring and documentation of controlled refrigerator and room temperatures.
• Monitoring and documentation of anteroom, buffer room and primary engineering control pressures.
• Appropriate cleaning and maintenance of IV room and all equipment per USP 797 and CA state board of pharmacy regulations.

Safety and Infection Control Responsibilities:

• Responsible to maintain a safe and clean work environment, including unit based specific safety and infection control requirements.

Qualifications: 

• Minimum of 2 years brand/generic name knowledge of chemotherapies, biologics and immunotherapies, required
• Minimum of 2 years IV Admixture experience, required
• Minimum of 2 years chemotherapy preparation experience, required
• Pyxis Med Station experience, preferred
• Computer skills, preferred

Education:

• High School Diploma or GED, required.

Licenses:

• California Pharmacy Technician, required
• California Intern Pharmacist considered in lieu of California Pharmacy Technician license.

Certifications:

• Current CPhT, Certified Pharmacy Technician, through the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board), preferred

Each new hire candidate who is offered employment must pass a physical evaluation, urine drug screen and pre-employment background checks before starting work.

*Salary/Hourly Wage range based on experience.

To protect the health of patients and staff, and to comply with the new State of California mandates, all job offers are contingent on the successful engagement in the TCMC COVID-19 vaccination program (fully vaccinated with documented proof or approved exception/deferral.)

TCHD is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression), age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with a disability.