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Straight “A’s” for Pharmacy Technicians: The Importance of Advocacy and Advancement

By Curstain Wheatley posted 02-13-2023 08:27

  

Have you ever wondered how you as a pharmacy technician can get involved and make real changes to your profession?

Advocacy is one of the ways you can achieve personal and professional change in pharmacy. Advocacy shows active support of an idea or cause and is usually an activity done by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions.

Even if you have never thought to yourself, “How can I change the pharmacy technician world,” you have more than likely had a few thoughts surrounding these topics: the need for certified technicians; income deficits; job stability and retention; education and licensure requirements; opportunity for advancement; and gaining recognition/respect for the profession. All of these are reasons to advocate!

There are two types of advocacy: professional and personal. 

 

Professional Advocacy                                          

·         Legislative

·         Organizational

o   Membership

o   Involvement/engagement/volunteerism

·         Employer

o   Government Affairs

o   Human Resources

Personal Advocacy

·         Achieving Higher Levels of Education

·         Completed Certifications

·         Open Conversations

·         Precepting and Mentoring

·         Applying for Advanced Technician Roles

To be honest, I did not know much about pharmacy technician advocacy until I began working at a health system specialty pharmacy whose focus was on creating a pharmacy technician career ladder. Seeing the progress within my own employer empowered me to get involved. My first step was to join organizations, my state organization and ASHP! Through my state organization, I am kept up to date on policies and legislation pertaining to healthcare and pharmacy. ASHP gives pharmacy technicians opportunities to sit on committees and forums, attend and present at conferences, and pursue continuing education and certificates.

Thankfully, my employer had already established a pharmacy technician career ladder and I had set my personal goal to attain an advanced technician position. I worked on projects, had conversations with leadership discussing my goals, and increased my knowledge to make myself an attractive candidate for the advanced position I aspired for. The timing of advancing to a Compliance Coordinator position coincided with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) releasing their advanced certifications and various certificates, and I obtained my CSPT and CPhT-Adv.

As the pharmacy climate continues to change, opportunities for pharmacy technicians are presenting themselves left and right. With the opportunities, a need for education and licensure requirements becomes more evident. National organizations such as PTCB and ASHP have launched many certifications and certificates in response.

PTCB currently offers 3 certifications and 11 certificates for pharmacy technicians wishing to distinguish themselves in the pharmacy technician field.

Certifications:

·         Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)

·         Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician (CSPT)

·         Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv)

Certificates:

·         Medication History

·         Technician Product Verification

·         Hazardous Drug Management

·         Billing and Reimbursement

·         Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention

·         Immunization Administration

·         Point-of-Care Testing

·         Medication Therapy Management

·         Regulatory Compliance

·         Supply Chain and Inventory Management

·         Nonsterile Compounding

ASHP currently offers a variety of professional certificates available to pharmacy technicians, some examples: Medication History-Taking, Pharmacy Leadership, Investigational Drug Services, Pharmacy Revenue Cycle Management, Medication Safety, etc.  

So, if you are unsure where to start your advocacy efforts, here are some action items:

·         Determine if additional education and certifications are right for you

·         Get involved in a professional organization

·         Stay up to date on what is happening in your state and nationally

·         Network in and out of your organization

·         Talk to your manager about advancement opportunities

·         Take on new responsibilities as they become available 

One key takeaway I have learned in my advocacy journey, every door you open will lead you to more opportunities. You may not think you can drive great change in the beginning, but once you start, those efforts can snowball into something larger than you would have expected!

References:

Wendi Owens and Barbara Hintzen. (May 10, 2021) Straight “A’s” for Pharmacy Technicians: The Importance of Advocacy and Advancement. [Webinar]. ASHP.

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