Reflections on National Pharmacy Technician Day 2017

Pharmacy technicians across the country are being honored today in recognition of National Pharmacy Technician Day.

The occasion has been widely observed on social media, where pharmacists, pharmacies, and health organizations are expressing their gratitude for their techs’ hard work and dedication to patient health. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), for example, is encouraging technicians to show off their tech pride by sharing pictures of themselves in their pharmacies.

“This day is a special time to acknowledge the essential contributions of pharmacy technicians to the pharmacy team. PTCB applauds pharmacy technicians for their commitment to advancing patient care and keeping patients safe,” PTCB executive director and CEO Everett B. McAllister, MPA, RPh, told Pharmacy Times. “This is a time for employers, educators, boards of pharmacy, pharmacy associations, and pharmacy technicians to celebrate! Pharmacy technicians fill essential roles, carry critical responsibilities, and find innovative solutions in pharmacies across all practice settings every day.”

For some technicians, the event provides an opportunity to reflect upon their roles on the pharmacy team. In interviews with Pharmacy Times, the following technicians shared their thoughts on National Pharmacy Technician Day and explained why they believed their profession deserves to be celebrated:

Chasaty Greenlee, CPhT

“I consider it an honor to work as a pharmacy technician, and I enjoy every aspect of what I do! I am truly excited about the strides that have been taken within pharmacy to better recognize the role that technicians play.

“Our team works hard every day to enhance the level of patient care that we provide in our health system. Our interaction with other health care professionals also ensures that we are collaborating to provide the highest level of patient care and customer satisfaction. Through process improvement projects, our technicians have improved the efficiency of our hospital pharmacy, and as a result we have become an integrated part of the fabric that makes up our hospital.

“I am extremely proud of the work I do as a technician and feel that what we do really makes a difference in our patient's lives.”

Katie Forte, CPhT

“Deciding to become a pharmacy technician was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Throughout my years, I have been able to accumulate knowledge and skills that have allowed me to impact the health care field in a positive way. From my time in a community setting, I was able to interact with patients every day and make a difference in their lives by being their ‘go to’ technician at the pharmacy; here, I learned that building relationships are an integral part of what we do.

“I have also helped patients through the medication management program at the Ohio State University, a program that I helped to start. I was able to talk to patients about different cost savings that may be available to them or behavioral changes needed to help with adherence to medications. Technicians are here to make our patients lives easiest and help them get the most benefit from their medications and I had the opportunity to do that daily.

“I currently play a more managerial role for the Ohio State University medication management program, which illustrates the wide variety of paths that pharmacy technicians can take. I never imagined I would have the opportunities that I do now, and it's all because I made the choice to become a pharmacy technician. I know that when I get up every morning, I am going to do something great.”

Amanda Kuzma, CPhT

“Pharmacy technicians enrich our local communities by helping patients get what they need to feel better. We get to play an integral role in patient care while having a positive impact on their lives.

“The most rewarding part of being a technician is simply having the opportunity to help people every day. Whether we’re making life a little easier for a mother with a sick child by getting her home as swiftly as possible or showing an elderly patient that choosing between their medications or buying food is not their only options, our smallest actions may mean the world to our patients.

"Having a day to celebrate technicians acknowledges the contributions that we make throughout the entire year. Showing appreciation for the roles technicians play in serving patients is a simple, yet vital act that inspires us to continue striving for excellence in all that we do!"

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