Pharmacy Intern

Location: IA - Des Moines

You’ve invested a lot of time and energy in your education. Now you want the chance to make your mark. We offer challenging opportunities for you to learn and grow professionally. In our programs, you’ll be immersed in a culture of continuous improvement, with the goal of changing health care for the better.

Position Summary

At CVS Health, we are focused on transforming health care for our customers and making our company a great place to work.  We help people navigate the health care system – and their personal health care – by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. Within our Retail locations, we bring this promise to life with heart every day. Our 3rd year Pharmacy Interns play a critical role in supporting our pharmacy teams to consistently deliver on our brand promise, while developing their own skills in preparation for increasing responsibility.

As a 3rd year Pharmacy Intern, you will be focused on applying didactic learning from pharmacy school into real-world practice to become ready for a Pharmacist role. Under the direction of your preceptor, you will complete a comprehensive training roadmap designed to show you first-hand what it’s like to be part of a pharmacy team while gaining an overview of store, district, and regional operations. You will gain valuable hands-on experience through a training roadmap that includes a combination of Key Learning Experiences (KLEs), activities, and time spent with leaders in your district. While in the pharmacy, you will assist the pharmacy team to ensure that pharmacy operations run smoothly, our patients’ prescriptions are filled promptly, safely, and accurately, and we are providing caring service that exceeds patient expectations. You will learn to operate as part of the pharmacy team through consistent application of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), best practices, and effective communication. Throughout your shifts and in all customer and colleague interactions, you will learn to demonstrate empathy and genuine care, and contribute to a safe and inclusive culture where all people feel valued and empowered.

3rd year Pharmacy Interns are responsible for completion of a comprehensive training roadmap, focusing on KLEs that build aptitude in the following areas. As tenure increases, 3rd year Pharmacy Interns take on increasing responsibility of the safety and effectiveness of operations in the pharmacy, including but not limited to:

Living our purpose by following all company SOPs at each workstation to help our Pharmacists and Technicians manage and improve patient health

Following pharmacy workflow procedures at each pharmacy workstation (i.e., production, pick-up, drive-thru, and drop-off) for safe and accurate prescription fulfillment

Contributing to positive patient experiences showing empathy and genuine care: creating heartfelt and personalized moments while serving patients at pick-up, drive-thru, and over the phone; keeping patients healthy by offering immunizations and other services at the register and over the phone; and demonstrating compassionate care by solving or escalating patient problems

Offering to counsel, fielding medical questions, and soliciting information on a patient’s medical history to provide optimal care, when appropriate under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist

Taking telephonic prescriptions from the prescriber, and calling the prescriber to clarify prescriptions or facilitate medication changes, where allowed by state regulation

Maintaining the highest level of self-awareness and providing in-the-moment coaching, training, and mentoring to pharmacy team members while sharing best practices

Completing basic inventory activities, as permitted by law, and as directed by the pharmacy leadership team, such as accurately putting away medication deliveries and completing cycle counts, returns-to-stocks, waiting bin inventories, etc.

Contributing to a high-performing team, embracing a growth mindset, and being receptive to feedback; actively seeking opportunities to expand clinical and technical knowledge needed to better assist patients

Remaining flexible for both scheduling and business needs, while contributing to a safe, inclusive, and engaging team dynamic; voluntarily traveling to stores in the market to work shifts as needed by the business

Understanding and complying with all relevant federal, state, and local laws, regulations, professional standards, and ethical principles. Complying with CVS policies and procedures to ensure patient safety, compliance with controlled substance dispensing and recordkeeping, and to protect patient privacy and security

Delivering additional patient health care services (e.g., immunizations, point-of-care testing, and voluntarily staffing offsite clinics), where allowable by law and supported by required training and certification

Where permissible, the 3rd year Pharmacy Intern may also support immunizations, which includes the following responsibilities:

Completing additional licensure and training requirements, in compliance with state Board of Pharmacy regulations, to obtain Technician Immunizer status to support preparing and administering vaccines

Educating patients about the importance of vaccines and referring patients to the Pharmacist-on-duty for vaccination questions

Monitoring for, and responding to, adverse reactions; reporting adverse reaction events per public health requirements

Reviewing and collecting patient information; tracking and documenting for each applicable patient

Required Qualifications

Accepted into, or actively enrolled in, an ACPE accredited college or school of pharmacy

Must possess, or be in the process of obtaining, valid intern and/or technician licensure as required

Essential Functions

Regular and predictable attendance, including nights and weekends

Ability to complete required training within designated