The Connecticut Society of Health-System Pharmacists (CSHP) Technician Committee surveyed technicians on their perspectives for advanced training and growth prospects, aiming to enhance professional development, job contentment, and retention within the state’s health systems. As health systems grapple with high turnover rates, understanding these gaps in opportunities is crucial for implementing effective strategies to elevate technician practice, tackle deficits, bolster retention, and ensure a competent workforce capable of meeting escalating patient care demands.
This cross-sectional observational study, led by the CSHP Technician Committee, utilized a 15-question survey administered via the REDCap web application. The survey targeted pharmacy technicians and their managers across diverse health system settings, encompassing inpatient, retail, specialty, ambulatory, and compounding pharmacies. Survey distribution involved collaboration with local CSHP ambassadors, email dissemination to pharmacy departments in 6 major health systems, and promotion via CSHP’s social media channels from September 14 to October 28, 2022. A total of 257 people responded to the survey. Of them, 236 (91.8%) were pharmacy technicians and 21 (8.2%) were pharmacists with pharmacy technicians as direct reports.
Ninety-nine of the pharmacy technicians (41.9%) identified as hospital pharmacy technicians with mixed responsibilities, 21 (8.9%) identified as community or specialty pharmacy technicians, 19 (8.1%) as other, and 18 (7.6%) as medication distribution technicians. A complete list of self-identified participant roles is in Figure 1. The majority of pharmacy technician respondents, 219 (92.8%), are nationally certified. A portion of the technicians also held various advanced certifications, including compounded sterile preparation (10.2%), immunization (8.9%), and medication history (5.9%) (Figure 2).
One hundred sixty-nine pharmacy technicians (71.6%) who participated in the survey have worked for 6 or more years (Figure 3). Of the 29 technicians who supervise others, 16 (55.2%) supervise 1 to 5 technicians.
Of 236 technicians, 118 (50%) agreed or strongly agreed that they feel fulfilled in their current positions, 69 (29.2%) were neutral, and 47 (19.9%) disagreed or strongly disagreed about feeling fulfilled in their current position. Most respondents (79.2%) reported that they think their job is essential and makes a difference in patient care while 30 (12.7%) technicians responded as neutral and 14 (5.9%) disagreed or strongly disagreed. Technicians reported that greater recognition and job opportunities in nontraditional pharmacy roles would impact job satisfaction the most.
Of 257 respondents, 21 (8.2%) were pharmacists with pharmacy technicians as direct reports. Of those, 8 (38.1%) work primarily in central operations, and 9 (42.9%) have 16 or more direct reports while 7 (33.3%) supervise 1 to 5 technicians. Nine (42.9%) pharmacy managers have held the position for 1 to 2 years.
Respondents were asked several questions about growth opportunities for pharmacy technicians in their health system. The majority (79.4%) said career ladders are in place, 32 (12.5%) said no career ladder was available, 18 (7%) did not know, and 3 (1.2%) people did not respond. One hundred seventy-seven (65%) respondents said there are opportunities for growth for technicians. Forty-eight (18.7%) reported that there are no opportunities for growth and 28 (10.9%) did not know if growth opportunities existed. Four people did not respond to this question.
One hundred twenty-seven (49.4%) of pharmacists and technicians reported that their employer offered reimbursement for some advanced pharmacy technician certifications, while 74 (28.8%) of participants reported no employer reimbursement. Fifty-six (21.8%) respondents did not know if their employers offered technicians reimbursement for some certifications. One hundred fifty-four (59.9%) of pharmacists and technicians said they would recommend the pharmacy technician career to friends and family. Sixty-six (25.7%) respondents reported that they would not recommend pharmacy technician careers to their friends and family and 34 (13.2%) said they did not know.
Respondents were asked if technicians at their institution are offered the opportunity to work in positions other than the primary assignment they were hired for. Twenty-six (10.1%) reported that employers always offered cross-training, 214 (83.3%) said it was provided sometimes or usually based on department needs, 13 (5%) responded that they are never offered cross-training opportunities, and 4 (1.5%) were unsure. Technicians and pharmacy managers reported that the top factors that contribute to the high turnover rates are (in descending order) “inadequate compensation,” “unbalanced workload/working shorthanded,” and “burnout” (Figure 4).
The survey findings, while insightful, bear certain limitations. Despite garnering responses from a portion of Connecticut’s health system pharmacy technicians, there is a possibility of a sampling bias, in which pharmacy technicians from larger health systems are overrepresented because our outreach methods were more likely to obtain responses from larger institutions. Additionally, the timing of the survey post pandemic peak may have influenced respondents’ perspectives. Noteworthy findings include the desire of pharmacy technicians to take on nontraditional roles with increasing levels of responsibility.
Many pharmacy managers oversee sizable teams of technicians, limiting their ability to coach and mentor all of their reports. Survey responses suggest that although career ladders are available at many institutions, many technicians are not aware of all the professional development opportunities available to them. Many survey participants did not know if their employer offered reimbursement for advanced training certificates. Respondents emphasized the need for enhanced mentorship and training, particularly for newer technicians, and identified barriers to implementing specific certifications.
Most technician participants exhibited substantial career stability, attributing their tenure to intrinsic job satisfaction and recognition of the significance of their roles in patient care. Although many reported several years of experience as a pharmacy technician, the experience does not equate to longevity with the same employer.
The survey identified several factors contributing to job satisfaction, such as role expansion, recognition, and incentives. Challenges included limited involvement in direct patient care and insufficient support. High technician turnover rates were predominantly linked to the perceived lack of growth opportunities, inadequate compensation, and burnout exacerbated by COVID-19 challenges and staffing shortages.
About The Authors
Tiffany Gray, CPhT, is the pharmacy automation and analytics coordinator at Yale New Haven Hospital and cochair of the Connecticut Society of Health System Pharmacists’ Technician Committee.
Mounia Ouacha, CPhT, is a certified immunizer and medication history technician at Yale New Haven Hospital. She also serves as cochair of the Connecticut Society of Health System Pharmacists’ Pharmacy Technician Committee, where she advocates for the advancement of technician roles.
Katarzyna Szablowski, PharmD, graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy n 2012. She has since held various pharmacy leadership roles at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, including medication history technician supervisor and is currently the ambulatory care pharmacy manager.
The survey findings provide a valuable foundation for targeted interventions to cultivate a proficient and content pharmacy technician workforce. Since advanced and nontraditional pharmacy technician roles were identified as desirable, pursuing legislative efforts to expand pharmacy technician scope would likely lead to increased job satisfaction and employee retention.
Recommendations include enhancing career advancement pathways, fostering mentorship programs, increasing awareness about advanced professional certifications, addressing burnout, and fostering positive work environments to improve retention and overall well-being.
REFERENCE
Pharmacy technician shortage survey: executive summary. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. March 2022. Accessed March 1, 2024. https://www.ashp.org/-/media/assets/pharmacy-technician/docs/Technician-Shortage-Survey-Exec-Summary.pdf
