TECHNICIANS: PHARMACY’S SMARTEST INVESTMENT

BY LIZA CHAPMAN, Pharm.D., FAPhA, vice president, partnership development, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board

Twenty years ago, many people might have viewed pharmacy technicians as primarily administrative positions with regular turnover. In 2022, that couldn’t be further from the reality of the state of the profession. The pharmacy technician role has evolved into a fulfilling long-term career with a wide range of opportunities for advancement. Technicians have gone from support staff to leaders, from having limited responsibilities to providing direct patient care services, and from background employees to frontline heroes. But as with any other occupation, turning a job into a thriving career takes commitment - a quality that has become a defining characteristic of pharmacy technicians. As a pharmacist, I can personally attest to the difference a skilled, dedicated technician can make to pharmacy operations, workflow and – most importantly – patient safety.

Recent data from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board's (PTCB) 2022 Workforce Survey revealed that pharmacy technicians have high levels of career satisfaction – 84 percent of national respondents and 90 percent of Michigan respondents reported being somewhat to very satisfied with their job. This is an important metric to consider, especially after the Michigan Pharmacists Association’s (MPA) Pharmacy Workplace Environment Task Force concluded in 2021 that a pharmacist’s stress levels can depend on how engaged their team is. In contrast, high levels of dissatisfaction can exacerbate the staffing shortages we currently face nationwide. And as we know, higher stress contributes to inefficiencies, which results in a stagnant workflow.

But career satisfaction isn’t the only indicator of potential professional growth. A significant number of technicians – particularly those who earn specialty and advanced credentials – say they are committed to the field for the long haul. That same PTCB survey found that more than half of respondents in Michigan and nearly 60 percent of national respondents consider pharmacy technician their long-term career. And per the MPA Task Force’s recommendations for workplace improvements, more technicians are pursuing certifications – 70 percent of respondents in the state (compared to 80 percent nationally) are currently certified by PTCB, with 57 percent certified for six years or more (on par with national data).

MPA Executive Board Member Angela Faszczewski, CPhT-Adv, is an excellent example of a technician who is not just dedicated to her own career but to advancing the profession as a whole. A certified technician since 1997, she has since earned five advanced certifications and became an Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv) last year. Angela remains committed to her career because of her passion for advocating for her patients and for opportunities to take on new leadership challenges that help steward the field’s evolution, like serving as both the president of PTCB’s Certification Council and the chair of our Exam Development Committee.

Because health care is a rapidly growing – and changing – industry, it requires a workforce that doesn’t just keep pace but gets ahead of the curve. Pharmacy technicians have become invaluable partners for pharmacists and as their responsibilities continue to expand, so does the need for accessible advanced specialized training and credentialing. In the face of a pandemic, technicians stepped up to administer immunizations and facilitate diagnostic testing to ensure patients were treated quickly and efficiently. Recognizing the immediate demand for these skills, many technicians earned PTCB’s Immunization Administration and Point of Care Testing Certificates to ensure they provided the best care possible, even during the crisis. An effective pharmacist-pharmacy technician relationship is based on knowledge, communication and trust, and specialized certifications empower technicians to become effective, collaborative partners.

But if there was ever a doubt about the growing importance and value of a technician’s perspective, consider this: 13 states, including Michigan, have included a technician on their Boards of Pharmacy. Regulators can’t effectively oversee an industry by excluding a significant portion of its workforce. Giving technicians a seat at the table gives them a say in the policies and regulations that govern their profession and shapes guidelines that best support pharmacy operations and advance patient safety.

Recently appointed to the Michigan Board of Pharmacy by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Keith Binion, MEd, CPhT, embodies the type of leadership today’s technicians bring to that table. As a practicing technician, executive director of the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council (PTEC), and member of the MPA Hall of Honor, Keith has already played an important part in elevating the profession by training new generations of pharmacy technicians. But as a regulator, he can help ensure any new regulations will support and facilitate opportunities to educate and advance the profession in the state and address challenges unique to technicians.

While the pharmacy technician field has made huge strides, we must ensure it continues growing. This means working to understand – and address – the unique stressors technicians experience that can negatively impact them. The pandemic has made it even more challenging for pharmacies to retain existing technicians and attract new ones, leaving the field in a constant state of stagnation. PTCB’s survey found that a majority (90 percent) of respondents from Michigan said they have taken on somewhat too much more work to meet the growing demands of their jobs due to COVID-19.

While COVID-19 stressors were a leading factor for technicians who decided to leave the profession in Michigan and nationally, the majority of these technicians cited low pay and lack of opportunities for career advancement as significant reasons for leaving the field.

Pandemic or not, we need to continue to identify ways to support and empower such an ambitious and dedicated workforce who are central to patient and medication safety to grow the careers they love. An investment in pharmacy technicians is an investment in the future of pharmacy. And one that will pay dividends for patients, employers and the profession for years to come.

About the Author

Dr. Chapman serves as PTCB’s vice president of partnership development, where she is responsible for developing partnerships with the pharmacy community, including educators, employers, state and national pharmacy associations, and state boards of pharmacy to advance pharmacy technician roles and responsibilities and medication safety.

Previously, Dr. Chapman was pharmacy clinical sales manager for the Kroger Co. Atlanta division, where she coordinated and managed all patient care services. She has held various volunteer leadership positions, including past president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association (GPhA). Currently, she serves as chairperson of the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation Board of Directors, a member of the Pharmacy Compounding Foundation Board of Directors, and is a member of several national professional organizations, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). Dr. Chapman is also a proud member of the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA).