Leaning into the scary

When I was asked to write a blog for pharmacy technicians, my first instinct was an emphatic no, no way, no how, not gonna do it! Even though I’ve written numerous Tech Talk continuing education lessons for pharmacy techs over the years, writing a blog is scary and way out of my comfort zone—which is why I agreed to tackle this. I am, by nature, a bit of an introvert and somewhat shy. I prefer not to have any attention paid my way. In school, I avoided presentations at all costs. In university, I deliberately steered clear of classes that required any form of speaking in front of others; I preferring to write papers, and then suffered through embarrassment at the thought of anyone (including my professors) reading my assignment. So, you can imagine my fear at the thought of other pharmacy technicians reading a blog I wrote! Read: Tech Refresher: How techs can help travellers I never intended to become a pharmacy technician. I was working as a pharmacy assistant while completing my undergraduate degree, not entirely sure what I wanted to do after graduation. A pharmacist I worked with told me that technicians in Ontario were going to become regulated healthcare professionals and if I became regulated, with my degree, I could teach in a pharmacy technician program in a college. That sounded perfect! Yes, even though I had a fear of speaking in front of people (and not just a little fear—I mean full-out hyperventilating). I am a pharmacy technician currently practising part-time in community pharmacy and a full-time faculty member in the Pharmacy Technician Program at Georgian College. The path of getting here has been filled with my having to face and overcome fears. It was scary every time I started at a new pharmacy. It was scary preparing non-sterile and sterile compounds on my own after training, teaching my first year, conducting hospital assessments as a hospital practice advisor, administering injections to patients and writing Tech Talk CEs. Most of those things are no longer scary (like teaching); some are still a little nerve-wracking (administering injections). And there are so many other technicians doing what I think must be scary things. Whether it's working at a hospital bedside as part of medical team to prepare IVs in the moment or opening their own pharmacy or other business related to pharmacy. Or whether it’s simply performing a new act within their scope of practice. Technicians all over are facing their fears to push themselves and their practice scope. Read: PTSA publishes part 2 of tech survey results As pharmacy practice and the role of pharmacy technicians across Canada continues to evolve, pharmacy technicians will (hopefully) find themselves with an even greater scope of practice, which may include “scary” things. I think it's important that, as long as we're practising safely, we lean into this fear. Trust in your knowledge, skills, and abilities, but don't overestimate them either. If fear is preventing you from trying something new and practising within your full scope, embrace those nerves. Evaluate your knowledge, skills, and abilities and be realistic. Seek out additional education and training when needed. Maybe even find a technician with more experience in a certain area to serve as a mentor. So, I've written my first blog. Was it scary? Yes. Am I terrified to submit this? You bet. But I'm leaning in, embracing these fears, pushing myself and hoping that after writing a few more of these, it won't be so scary. However, we should all keep in mind that nerves and a small amount of fear can be good too, so don't worry if those feelings don't completely go away! Sarah-Lynn Dunlop is a pharmacy technician practising in community pharmacy in Collingwood, Ont., and a full-time faculty member at Georgian College in Barrie, Ont. Read: OCP calls for tech mentors

Leaning into the scary

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