Technician Focus

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One Technician’s Experience During COVID-19

A Q&A with Cassandra Kingsford

By CASSANDRA KINGSFORD, CPhT, pharmacy technician, Munson Medical Center

The biggest lesson is never take anything for granted. I have been able to go to clinics at nursing homes to give the vaccine, and the people there were so grateful. They were excited that they might be able to give their kids and grandkids a hug, to be able to stay in one room and not talk to their loved ones through a window or on the phone.

When was the first time you considered pharmacy as a career?

I was actually in school to become a physical therapist when I was asked to work in the Kmart pharmacy. I had been with Kmart for five years at the time.

Why pharmacy?

I love helping people and what better way than helping patients understand their medications?

Did you stumble into it, or was it something you knew you wanted to do from the start?

I stumbled into it, but after about two weeks of working in the pharmacy, I knew it was the career for me.

What was your educational/career path?

After about a month of working in the pharmacy, I started looking into online universities, found Rasmussen University, which had a program to become a pharmacy technician, and I graduated from the program.

Cassandra Kingsford is pictured with her son, Joseph.

When/how did you become certified to provide immunizations?

I had heard through the grapevine that certified pharmacy technicians can become immunizers, and that it went toward the advanced certification for technicians, so when I was asked if I wanted to take the course, I jumped in feet first.

What motivated you to achieve this certification?

What motivated me to become certified in immunizations was the fact that we, as a nation, were and still are in a crisis. Knowing that I can be part of helping the community overcome the COVID-19 pandemic was a big motivator. This was at the time when Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines had just come out.

Would you recommend other technicians get this certification?

Yes, I would. There is just something about giving immunizations at a time like this that makes me feel that I made a difference in someone’s life. What better feeling is there than that?

How would you describe your workflow before and after adding immunizations to it?

To be honest, I didn’t notice a difference! If you are good at multi-tasking, it will not be an issue.

How do you incorporate immunizations into your workflow?

Luckily, most patients make an appointment, so it’s easy to see what my day is going to be like and work with that.

Cassandra Kingsford is pictured with her daughter, Junie.

What are the challenges this has presented?

The challenge is when you have walk-ins, the phone ringing off the hook and a line of 10 patients waiting for their medications. It can get pretty hectic, but with the help of my other co-workers, it always works out in the end. Plus, it makes the time go by faster!

What are the benefits to you and/or the profession?

I think the main benefit is that we are helping people. Whether it’s the flu, shingles or the COVID-19 shot, we are helping in the long run. Another benefit is that we are helping the pharmacist free their hands, so they can check a prescription or consult a little longer with a patient without feeling rushed, even though I think we all feel that from the time we start the work day until the end of the work day. But if you have a great team and work well with each other, it can be a productive day.

How has COVID-19 changed your work experience? What is the biggest lesson or growth opportunity you have learned from COVID?

The biggest lesson is never take anything for granted. I have been able to go to clinics at nursing homes to give the vaccine, and the people there were so grateful. They were excited that they might be able to give their kids and grandkids a hug, to be able to stay in one room and not talk to their loved ones through a window or on the phone.

How has this experience affected you or your family personally?

COVID took a toll on my whole family. My parents, my sister and her family moved to Tennessee a few weeks before the state shut down, and it was hard that we could not be together. Growing up in the Army, when the tough got going, you had your family there. It was really rough when they all got COVID and I could not be there to help them through it. Luckily, none of them got so sick they needed to go to the hospital, just to their doctors. It was really rough on my children. My son was graduating high school in 2020, and I felt so bad for him. His last year of high school should not have gone the way it did. For my daughter, it was horrible doing virtual school. My husband could not work for three months, since his job was deemed nonessential. That put a lot of stress on him since he owns his own company. As for me, there were days I got to work and cried before heading in. No amount of encouragement or thank-you’s from the community could make it better, though it helped a little. I just never knew if I was going to bring COVID home to my family. That was the scariest part for me and a lot of my co-workers – the what-ifs.

Cassandra Kingsford's husband Tom is pictured with their cat Lumberg.

What do you consider your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Knowing I made a difference in people’s lives. Knowing that I can walk into work and help more patients.

What are your goals or next moves as you continue to grow in your career and personal life?

One of my goals is to get my advanced certification. The other is to keep helping as many people as I can.