ASHP Kicks Off Pharmacy Technician Forum

This week marks the official launch of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' (ASHP) Pharmacy Technician Forum.

In his Presidential Address to kick off the ASHP's 2017 Midyear meeting, Paul W. Bush, PharmD, called the forum an "exciting" development and he said it is expected that the forum will be fully operationalized in early 2018.

Current pharmacy technician members of ASHP will be automatically incorporated into the forum and will continue to receive the full range of ASHP member benefits along with all of the new benefits that will be offered through the forum.

On September 29, 2017, the ASHP Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve the creation of the forum, which ASHP officials described as an "enhanced membership home for pharmacy technicians."

Although pharmacy technicians have always been able to join and receive a wide variety of ASHP benefits, the new Pharmacy Technician Forum will significantly enhance their voice and engagement in ASHP by providing the education, tools, and resources they need to further advance their careers and solidify their roles as members of the interprofessional patient care team.

“Pharmacy technicians play a vital role in patient care and are the key to allowing pharmacists to spend their time providing direct patient care in hospitals, clinics, and all settings,” ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, ScD. (Hon.), FASHP, said in a press release earlier this year announcing the forum. “ASHP’s goal with the Pharmacy Technician Forum is to give our technician colleagues the respect they deserve as well as the tools they need to continue to professionalize and advance their careers. As the organization that for decades has led the way in elevating the role of pharmacy technicians, we believe that ASHP will serve as the perfect home for technicians who wish to take their careers to the next level and beyond.”

According to the release, the framework for the Pharmacy Technician Forum will include an executive committee that will advise ASHP on the optimal programs, education, tools, policies, and resources pharmacy technicians need to be successful in their careers. ASHP will also be dedicating a team of staff members to support the forum and will be charged with constantly seeking ways to support pharmacy technician members’ needs and enhance their engagement in ASHP.