Advertisement

Blog Viewer

Pharmacy Technicians Get Involved!

By Adam Goodwin posted 04-15-2019 14:06

  

As a pharmacy technician you may not be aware of the several local and state organizations you can join, to help advance your skills, experience and networking. They have great resources available to advance your career and keep you connected to the changes in the pharmacy world. As the profile of pharmacy technicians continues to rise these organizations are beginning to offer more resources specifically for pharmacy technicians.

 

In my state of Michigan, we are required to have five hours of live continuing education (CE) credits for our license renewal. While states may vary I imagine these live CE will continue to exist in other states. The state and local pharmacy associations have caught on to this trend and are offering more opportunities to receive this credit. For example, the SMSHP (Southeastern Michigan Society of Health System Pharmacists) hosts a technician focused breakfast event. You just have to be a member to attend and they only charge technicians $25 dollars for an annual membership. Most organizations have reduced membership rates for technicians as well, compared to pharmacists.

 

I encourage you to get involved with your state and local organizations. They can only be a benefit to you and the rewards more than outweigh the cost of membership, especially if you are in a state that doesn’t require pharmacy technicians to be licensed yet. Getting each state to require technician licensing is the way to expand the roles and skills of pharmacy technicians as well as salary. The state organizations can help to introduce legislation to require your state to begin licensing of pharmacy technicians.

 

In conclusion explore what local and state opportunities are available to you. I am sure you will be surprised at the resources that are there for the taking. The career of pharmacy technicians is no longer just a stepping stone to other healthcare careers. We have a vital role in the future of pharmacy, as the pharmacists focus on more clinical aspects of pharmacy and leave the dispensing to the technicians. Please lead, learn and keep advancing the future of pharmacy technicians!

0 comments
32 views

Permalink