In the past, pharmacy technicians have been recognized on National Pharmacy Technician Day (the 3rd Tuesday of each October), however this originated as a part of National Pharmacy Week. Since the APhA launched October as American Pharmacy Month a few years ago, we are considering making the shift to recognize technicians for an entire week. This is the approach that ASHP takes with Health-System Pharmacy Week.

Each day of the week could be designated to recognize pharmacy technicians working in various practice settings, ie Retail Pharmacy Technician Day, Health-System Pharmacy Technician Day, Pharmacy Technician Educators Day, etc.

We want your thoughts, feedback & suggestions.

net·work·ing

Sounds boring, I know, but the truth is that networking with colleagues is critical to success…and with the advent of online social media networks, it can be a lot of fun.

Here are three steps to get started.

1. Select a new group or network to join (see suggestions below)

2. Share a little bit about yourself with the group, list your areas of experience/expertise and offer to be of assistance to the members. (Remember, networking is a two-way street)

3. Stay active in the group dialouge – whether that is answering questions, posting questions, sharing news/information. This doesn’t need to be a daily task, but try to stay connected at least once a week.

Suggested Networking Groups for Pharmacy Technicians

1. NPTA Group on Facebook
2. NPTA Group on LinkedIn
3. NPTA on Twitter
4. NPTA Discussion Forums
5. CPhTLink Discussion Forums

If you are skeptical, I challenge you to try this for just 3 months and then reevaluate.

As many of you know, I also serve as the Publisher of Today’s Technician magazine (the first magazine ever developed specifically for pharmacy technicians…). When we launched the publication in 2000, I had no clue about publishing a magazine and after 10 years I still learn from each issue that goes to press.

One of the ways that I have evolved as a publisher is to read and review a ton of magazines….seriously, just ask my assistant, Laura. I scour magazines from all sectors, interests and niches, but it is always a bonus to review magazines that are dedicated to topics that I am passionate about – like sharks.

Shark Diver magazine is one of the roughly 60 magazines I subscribe to and/or review. It is dedicated to a niche group of individuals (including myself) not unlike Today’s Technician. Eli Martinez, the editor at Shark Diver magazine has recently embarked on a project of blogging about “the making of the magazine.” I certainly connect with a lot of Eli’s comments, such as:

The mag is finally out of my hands and into the printers dirty mittens. Ya! This issue turned into one of the longest issues I have ever worked on. I took my time with each layout, making sure it looked good, but damn. I am just glad it is out of my hands now, and I now all I have to worry about is my back and forth emails and calls between me and the printer. Of course now I sit and worry about color and editing mistakes, and so on. Its a never ending thing. But at least I am done with this mag and I can somewhat rest for a day or two before it starts all over again.
(April 22, 2009 – http://sharkdivermag.com/makingthemag.html)

If you are interested in getting a sneak peek into the life and mind of a niche magazine editor/publisher….or you want to learn a little more about why on earth people like myself enjoy diving with sharks, check out the blog at http://sharkdivermag.com/makingthemag.html

The people are ill
Oh what the heck!
Let’s get to work cause
I’m a pharmacy tech.

People are coughing
All over the counter top
Cover your mouths
So the germs will stop.

While on their cell phone
You ask, “been here before?”
They reply with a yes
And my birthday is May 5th, 1944.

This will take about 40 minutes
Oh no they’re gonna have to wait
They gather their things
As they walk away with a face of hate.

Here comes a mom with her kids
One is crying, the other is sick.
Mom asks for a trashcan
To throw away a lollipop stick.

Oh joy some grumpy customers
What a way to start the day.
Now what in the world 
Does this freakin prescription say?

For the adult with a cough
How about Tussionex and a Zpak.
They’re breathing funny too,
So let’s fill their prednisone pack.

The medicine tastes so yucky
Let’s make mom so very merry
See if the kid wants apple
Grape, watermelon or cherry?

The insurance comes back with an error
Tussionex requires a prior auth.
Try to explain that to the patient
“Pay for the syrup OR keep the cough!”

Then I’m interrupted
Over there by Mr. John Doe.
The crazy customer wants to know
“How do I get this fungus off my toe?”

Before you finish helping him
Another impatient customer is there.
She needs some butterfly bandaids, 
And asks, “Where is the first aid care?”

I finish, and walk back in the door
Oh, wonderful, it’s the ringing telephone
It’s good ol’ Betty Jean asking
“When can I fill my hydrocodone?”

Here comes the last minute customer
“Doctor said it’s on your $4 list”
Two of them are, the other is not
They are now a little bit pissed.

All the typing and the counting
On the free drug reps tray
Dealing with customers and doctors
For what? Very little pay.

As I start to wonder if this job is worth it
Others are wondering what the heck?
Your boss comes over to you and says
“Thanks for your hard work! You’re a great Pharmacy Tech!!!”

*****
Posted with permission of the author, Eileen Neumyer, CPhT.

Have you heard about…The Pharmacy Alliance (TPA)…not if the chain pharmacy corporate offices have anything to do with it! TPA was established in 2008 and is focused on bringing back dignity, self-respect and integrity to pharmacy professionals, including pharmacy technicians (kudos).

The TPA website details their 13 guiding principles as being:
 

1. Pharmacy professionals will request direct compensation, in addition to their wage, for providing specialized professional services.

2. Pharmacy professionals will insist upon a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break for every 8 hour shift and an additional 15 minute uninterrupted rest period for a 12 hour shift.

3. Pharmacy professionals will feel empowered to use the word “no” when faced with undignified, unprofessional, dangerous, dishonest, insulting or offensive situations.

4. Pharmacy professionals will counsel patients when appropriate and will advocate for a professional environment and for patient safety.

5. Pharmacy professionals will insist on being managed by pharmacists and not by non-pharmacist managers.

6. Pharmacy professionals will not tolerate abuse under any circumstances, directed toward themselves or their staff.

7. Pharmacy professionals should not sign a “sign-on bonus” agreement until the company representative signs a TPA  “Sign On DSI agreement”.

8. Pharmacy professionals will not engage in promoting undignified prescription pricing policies that do not provide for reasonable profit and are an insult to our standing as professionals.

9. Pharmacy professionals will not accept compensation as a substitute for DSI.

10. Pharmacy professionals will advocate working in pharmacies where the physical layout of the department safeguards privacy and safety. Pharmacies should be ergonomically designed.

11. Pharmacy drive-thru areas should only be responsible for dispensing pharmacy-related products if sufficiently staffed.

12. A pharmacist will determine who is assigned to work in the pharmacy.

13. TPA will advocate for certification and licensure requirements for pharmacy technicians in all 50 states.

For the past ten years, I, along with most others, have assumed that the answer was (or a variation) that pharmacists viewed the advancement of pharmacy technicians as a direct, or implied, threat to their own job security. I’ve always known that it was a weak response to the question; pharmacists, after all, are very intelligent individuals…how could they accept such an absurd notion as “if pharmacy technicians are required to complete standardized education and take on more responsibilities in the pharmacy, they eventually won’t need me….the chains will realize that they can replace my $100k+ salary with a $30K salary…”? This is as ridiculous as pharmacy technicians opposing pharmacy automation for the same reasoning.

The logic of this explanation completely breaks down when you witness the chain pharmacies offering the fiercest opposition to increasing the standards for pharmacy technicians. If they felt that they would be able to do away with the pharmacist eventually (and the liability of their payroll burden), the chains would be rushing to get such standards in place.

Pharmacists see the action of the chains, so why do they remain in opposition, including the younger/newer pharmacists? One would think that pharmacists would want the most competent, educated and trained staff as possible. Then I came across the results of a 2007 study published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, and suddenly I’m beginning to understand.

In the study, 3rd year pharmacy students underwent personality assessments for a correlation on how to improve patient consultations and communication skills. The results, in my opinion, provide great insight to the million dollar question. According to the study, two out of three pharmacy students (66%) were assessed to be introverts.

…and?….so?….what does that have to do with anything?

Think about it. One of the main reasons provided for advancing the standards and education of pharmacy technicians is to free the pharmacists up from the routine, non-clinical, aspects of dispensing….thus allowing pharmacists to use their clinical expertise and spend the majority of their time consulting with patients and/or prescribers. Subconsciously, if not consciously, pharmacists are scared of this change in practice, because as introverts they would prefer to stay behind the counter, under the hood or in the basement preparing and dispensing medications. 

Introverts are wired in such a way as to avoid social interaction whenever possible. Think about it – how many of the pharmacists you have worked with are introverts by nature. Now, think about nurses, whose job is completely focused on interacting with patients…the vast majority of nurses are extroverts by nature.

The thought of technicians “freeing them up” to spend more time with patients is hitting a deep seeded fear. It’s not about the validity and necessity of increasing standards for technicians, it is about maintaining the status quo and not having to get out of their comfort zone.

I plan to look further into this theory, because if this proves accurate – we will need to do a few things.
1. Reframe the argument for increasing the standards for pharmacy technicians
2. Provide extensive training/resources for pharmacists to become more professionally extroverted
3. Reconsider the ideal traits for admission of  future pharmacy students 

Disclaimer: Yes, I realize that every pharmacist does not oppose such standards. NPTA works with numerous pharmacists who are among our strongest supporters/allies. I also realize that every pharmacist is not an introvert, nor is this theory the reason why every challenger opposes such standards. This post uses mass generalizations, which can illustrate trends, which in turn can provide significant insight.

Study: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1959225 

I welcome your thoughts!

CVS/pharmacy expects to close on the 311-acre property before the end of the first quarter of 2009 and to break ground in the spring.

KL30

The KL30 is a major advancement in saving time, steps and cost in a pharmacy. For the first time, Kirby Lester utilizes drug-specific cassettes to fully automate the hands-free dispensing of a pharmacy’s top 30 oral solid medications. (All other medications can simply be poured into the funnel as is done with other Kirby Lester counters.) The KL30 is based on the recently introduced KL20 “next-generation” platform. The KL20 was heralded by pharmacists and technicians alike as an indispensable technology platform.

The KL30 automates the dispensing of 100% of all oral solids with the combination cassette & pour-through methods. The 30 cassettes alone manage 25-30% of the orders in a typical retail pharmacy. In contrast, most robotic dispensers automate only 40-45% of orders, at a cost of 7-10 times the cost of a KL30. The KL30 will be offered for less than $20,000.

In addition to managing the dispensing of all tablets, the KL30 also automates the verification of 100% of all prescriptions, not just oral solids

According to the state Department of Labor, 2,500 educational and health services jobs were added on Long Island in the 12-month period ended in December. That’s while the trade, transportation and utilities sector lost 6,700 jobs in the same period and the professional and business-services sector shed 4,700 positions.

What’s more, continued growth in health care is projected, said Gary Huth, the department’s principal economist. Overall job growth on Long Island for the period 2006 to 2016 is projected to be 6.7 percent for all occupations, he said. Make that 14.1 percent for health care practitioner and technician jobs.

Among the jobs for which demand is expected to grow the most for that period: home health aides, up 42 percent; medical assistants, up 30.2 percent; pharmacy technicians, up 19.8 percent; nursing aides, orderlies, up 16.3 percent; and medical records, health information technicians, up 13 percent. (www.newsday.com)