Erie County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to workplace diversity.

Residence Requirements:

THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION. There is one anticipated vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

Examples of Duties:

A Lead Pharmacy Technician supervises Pharmacy Technicians and assisting licensed pharmacists in the dispensing and compounding of drugs in the Pharmacy Department at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation; 

Supervises the daily activities of Pharmacy Technicians as permitted;

Assigns work and prepares work schedules;

Assists higher-level Pharmacists in onboarding, orientation, training, competency development, performance evaluation and disciplinary matters for Pharmacy Technicians;

Assists a licensed Pharmacist in compounding, preparing and labelling drugs used to fill patient medication orders;

Retrieves prescription data from patient electronic medical record for verification of all information needed to fill a prescription by a licensed pharmacist prior to dispensing a prescription; Retrieves drugs from stock and returns them to stock;

Prepares dosage units of drugs in appropriate containers to fill medication orders;

Attaches prescription labels to containers;

Prepares manual records of dispensing for the signature or initials of the licensed pharmacist;

Handles and delivers completed medications to person authorized to act on behalf of the patient;

Monitors medications and intravenous solutions for expiration dates and removes expired medications from all stock areas;

Completes nursing unit inspections regarding dispensing of drugs;

Repackages medications into dispensing units.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and three (3) years of pharmacy experience* (see Note 1.)

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Possession of a license to practice as a Registered Pharmacy Technician or Pharmacist in New York State at time of appointment and maintenance throughout duration of appointment; or:

Possession of a limited (intern) permit as a Pharmacist in New York State at time of appointment and maintenance throughout duration of appointment.

Notes:

1. *Either of the following may be substituted for six (6) months of pharmacy experience:

a) Successful completion of a Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)-recognized education/training program; or:

b) Successful completion of one (1) semester in a regionally accredited or New York State registered School of Pharmacy.

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements. 

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However, candidates may find information in the publication 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas.

Coding/decoding information

These questions test for the ability to follow a set of coding rules. Some questions will require you to code information by converting certain information into letters or numbers. Other questions will require you to decode information by determining if the information that has already been converted into letters or numbers is correct. Complete directions will be provided; no previous knowledge of or training in any coding system is required.

Name and number checking

These questions test for the ability to distinguish between sets of words, letters, and/or numbers that are almost exactly alike. Material is usually presented in two or three columns, and you will have to determine how the entry in the first column compares with the entry in the second column and possibly the third. You will be instructed to mark your answers according to a designated code provided in the directions.

Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.

Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

Working with office records

These questions test your ability to work with office records. The test consists of two or more sets of questions, each set concerning a different problem. Typical record keeping problems might involve the organization or collation of numerical data from several sources; maintaining a record system using running balances; or completion of a table summarizing data using totals, subtotals, averages and percents. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.