Pharmacy Technician
The Pharmacy Technician / Clerk is responsible for the following ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Customer Services – They must greet the customers, respond to their questions and assist them in a courteous and helpful manner. This can be performed through customer pick-up counter, drive-thru (per location), and telephone conversations. There is a constant need for talking on the telephone using a hand –held handset with a shoulder cradle. Technicians and clerks must record customer information including verifying each patient’s name with correct spelling, date of birth, drug allergies, medical conditions, prescription drug information, and correct spelling of the doctor’s name.
Stocking – Technicians and clerks must receive and restock shelves with pharmacy merchandise, including prescription and non-prescription drug items typically packed in plastic totes or boxes. They will unload totes, them check in the merchandise and sort it for stocking. When a new shipment arrives, the technician or clerk will read and verify the invoice by counting the individual items to confirm the order. The labels must be read to place drug bottles alphabetically and by order date on appropriate pharmacy shelves. Operate Cash Registers and Computers – technicians and clerks must stand and operate cash registers or computers for up to 4 hours at a time. Each employee is required to input prescriptions into the pharmacy database using a computer keyboard to type in information and must be able to read each physician prescription accurately.
Counting and Pouring Prescriptions – The technician or clerk must count and label
prescription and non-prescription medications. The employee is required to walk to retrieve the medicine from the shelf, match it with the corresponding label, and count the medication pieces. Opening medication bottles requires a downward palmar push with a counter clockwise twisting motion to remove the childproof cap. Then, a sliding motion of the hand and arm is used to push the counted medication into the trough of the counting tray. A pouring motion is used to transfer the medication from the trough into each bottle or vial. The cap is secured with a downward palmar push and clockwise twist motion and the self-stick label affixed. Productivity may be 400-468 prescriptions filled per day.
Work Location - Technicians and clerks must work at all locations within the pharmacy and, often, walk outside of the pharmacy to assist customers in locating over-the-counter
medications. They must stand and walk for up to 4 hours at a time, often lifting, bending, turning, twisting, and reaching, using all parts of the body.
Marginal Duties (may become essential functions based on the size of the store, availability of personnel, time of day, etc.) - Technicians and clerks are responsible for
sweeping/mopping the pharmacy space, taking trash to the dumpster located in the rear of the store, operating the box baler if the employee is 18 years or older, and general cleaning of the pharmacy space to promote a reasonably clean, safe work environment.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS ANALYSIS
1. STANDING AND WALKING
Tasks: All of the tasks listed previously require frequent standing. Shock- absorbent fatigue mats are located at all standing counter workstations. Frequent to constant walking is required throughout the pharmacy space.
Surface: Linoleum flooring with fatigue mats.
Estimated Total Hours: 4-8 hours with maximum continuous time of 4 hours
2. SITTING
Tasks: Some locations have seated work-stations for data entry. These have padded, adjustable swivel office chairs with 31” desk height. Keyboards
are at desk top height with 41” from floor to mid-CRT screen. Adjustable, padded swivel counter-height chairs are also available at some locations for use at the 40” work-height counters. These have adjustable, small lumbar pads.
Estimated Total Hours: 2 hours or less with maximum continuous time 15-30 minutes.
3. LIFTING / CARRYING
Objects: Individual pharmacy products
Totes or boxes with product 19.5” X 11.5”X 7”, boxes of paper goods 11” X 14” X 9” weighing up to 40#, average 20#
Plastic prescription tubs 10.5’ X 16.5” X 6”off of shelves 10.5” to 68”
WEIGHT HOURLY DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY NEVER < 10# X 11-25# X 26-50# X 51-75# X 76-100# X > 100# X
4. CLIMBING
Tasks: May climb on one-step or two-step tools to retrieve or replace pharmacy
stock from alphabetical storage shelves. Stool steps are 10” and 20.5” with low step stool-type rail on two-step stool. Shelves are located at 7”, 15.5”, 24.5”, 33”, 42”, 51”, 62”, and 70” height at the top of the shelf. (Light, infrequently utilized stock is located on the top shelf).
Estimated Frequency: 1-2 times per hour with maximum 14 times per 8-hr shift
5. BENDING / SQUATTING / KNEELING
Tasks: Occasionally to frequently may bend to reach items in drawers below counter at 37.25”, 31.5”, 23.75”, 17” and 10.5” from the floor. Printer
terminal may be below counter and refrigerated pharmaceutical items are located in below-counter refrigerators. Bending or squatting techniques may be used to retrieve or place these items. Employees may lift any objects from the floor such as paper or product stock. No kneeling required.
Estimated Frequency: 4-8 times per hour with maximum 56 times per shift
6. REACHING
Tasks: Reaching for medicine bottles or vials below counter height, reaching up to 70” on stock shelves, reaching across counter to window or drive-thru station to drawer using either at separate times or at the same time depending on the task.
Estimated Frequency: Reaching for bottles or vials and pharmacy stock 40-50 times per hour, reaching over counter or into drive-thru drawer 6-8 times
customer transaction with total 400-468 prescription productivity per day.
Hands Used: Both
DISTANCE DIRECTION FREQUENCY DURATION AVG. WEIGHT
0-20” forward hourly minimal <1#
20-36” forward hourly minimal <1# 7. WORK CONDITIONS EXPOSURE TO YES NO Hot Temperatures X Cold Temperatures X Sudden Temperature Changes X Loud Noise X Fumes X
Cramped Spaces X
Cold Surfaces / Tools X Hot Surfaces / Tools X Sharp Edges X Vibration X Flourescent Lighting X Computer Monitor Screen Glare X
Inside Environment 100% Outside Environment 0% 8. HAND USE
Tasks: Keystrokes - computer key board 50-90 per minute depending on proficiency, on cash register 6-13 per transaction with 400-465
daily prescription productivity. Key boards at 40-48” height from floor. Prescription Production – Opening / closing pill bottles with palmar push and twist motion, 16-18# force 1” bottles, 19-21” force 2” bottles, and 22# liquid vial caps. A pouring motion is required to place pill stock on a tray. Pills are counted on a tray with a dull spatula tool and a lift/pouring motion is used again to pour pills into bottles. Liquid medications also require a controlled pouring motion, as do pills measured by weight poured from a scale. Use of Fill master requires light downward pull on lever at 45-55” height with the non-dominant hand while holding the vial in the dominant hand under the spout using light grasp. Product is labeled using the dominant hand while holding the medication container with the non-dominant hand using light grasp. This production work is done at 40” work height. Product is placed in bags and the dominant hand uses 18-20# of force to staple the receipt(s) and patient education materials and close each bag for distribution to the customer.
Fine Coordination – Required in above tasks.
Grasp – Simple, light grasp is required in handling most pharmacy objects. Forces required for opening/closing medication bottles and vials is documented above. Firm grasp is required around pen or pencil for writing tasks, which are frequent in pharmacy duties including taking telephone messages, writing notes, inventorying stock, and noting other non- computerized data. Tasks are usually performed at a 40” work-height.
Cash Register Use – Register key-pad is located 50-51” from the floor. An employee must reach forward 11” to grasp and release receipt. Light key
pressure is needed to press register keys. A slight trunk bend and reach of 30-40” is needed to perform the transaction with the customer, both at the in-store and drive-thru windows.
9. OTHER JOB DEMANDS
DOES JOB REQUIRE? YES NO Crawling X Jumping X Laying On Back X Lying On Stomach X Trunk Twisting X
Sweeping/Mopping X Taking Trash To Dumpster X Operating Box Baler (if 18 yrs. or older) X
General Cleaning X
10. LIST TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND MATERIALS USED
Telephones with hand sets and shoulder cradles, computer monitors, keyboards, printers and hand-held scanners, pharmacy stock items, pills trays with spatulas, bottles and vials for medications, pens/pencils, stapler, cash register, drive-thru drawer (some hand push/pull, some automated), labels and packaging for medications, medication scales, tubs and totes for product, boxes of paper goods, step stools, chairs as available, fatigue mats, and stock / product sorting shelves.
SUMMARY
The Pharmacy Technician / Clerk must be friendly and courteous, able to deal directly and effectively with customers through the work shift. They must be able to assist in the preparation of prescriptions, helping to maintain the actual day-to-day business of the pharmacy. Pharmacy Technicians and Clerks may receive refill requests over the phone, obtain health information, perform computer data entry, gather medications for use in prescription preparation (this is always checked by a Pharmacist), order medications and process received orders, assist in maintaining pharmacy department records, assist patients in locating over-the counter medications, ring purchases on the cash register, and perform housekeeping of the pharmacy department space. A full-time work shift is defined as an eight-hour workday with standard breaks and meal. Employees in this position may work either full-time or part-time schedules as approved and scheduled by the pharmacy supervisor.
