Pharmacy Tech Focus: Meredith Wylie

Meredith Wylie is a Pharmacy Systems Applications Support Technician at BC Cancer, Provincial Pharmacy in Vancouver, BC. She tells us what that role entails, the path that got her there—and the insights she’s gleaned along the way. Why did you want to be a pharmacy technician? I actually didn’t know that I wanted to be a Pharmacy Technician until I became one. I had been working at a restaurant for about 5 years and was ready for not only a change, but a career. I graduated from Vancouver Community College in 2009. Then when technicians had the opportunity to become regulated, I completed my online courses and exams through The University of British Columbia and became a Registered Pharmacy Technician in 2015. Do you have anyone in healthcare that inspired you? I have a friend who had been a pharmacy technician for 10 years when I was looking into it. We spoke about what type of work she does, the best courses to take and how much she enjoyed her job. It absolutely inspired me to get on the class waitlist ASAP! What was your first job as pharmacy tech? It was at Peace Arch Hospital as a casual technician. I was lucky that after my practicum there, they hired me right out of school! This position included everything from top up, preparing IVs, filling prescriptions and counting narcotics. It was a great start to my career, and I really enjoyed the people I worked with. Where have you worked since then? Not long after I started at Peace Arch, I was offered a full-time position at BC Cancer Surrey. I started in rotation where I was working in the outpatient dispensary, preparing chemotherapy IVs and entering chemotherapy orders. Shortly after that I moved into Purchasing. This is where I started to learn a whole new world of being a technician. I was in charge of purchasing and receiving every drug and supply that we needed for the pharmacy. I would create purchase orders, sign off on invoices, stock up the medications and stay on top of backorders and drug recalls. At the same time, I also became in charge of our Clinical Trials medications. These trials have very specific, mandatory tasks. Every drug that comes into the pharmacy and given out to a patient is carefully documented. All these medications are kept in a separate, temperature-controlled area and must be taken care of diligently. After learning all the positions in the pharmacy, it was only natural that I take on a Technician Supervisor Role. Training, updating documents and scheduling were added to my duties, on top of being in rotation sometimes. After being at the Surrey Centre for seven years, I was ready for a new challenge and was able to secure a spot in regular rotation at the Vancouver Cancer Centre. How do the centres differ? Vancouver has a much higher patient count including inpatients, so even though the medications and computer systems are the same, it was like a whole new world. Not only was I trained in all the rotation positions, I also had the opportunity to work as a Drug Access Navigator. It was a tough job, but this was an area where I could really help patients and make a major difference in their care. I reached my ultimate goal in 2018. A position in our BC Cancer Provincial Pharmacy had opened. (I had applied for this once before but didn’t have the experience required yet to land the job.) I have been in the role of Pharmacy Systems Applications Support Technician for the past 3.5 years. This position is one I never would have imagined back when I was in school learning how to count tablets by five. What do you do in your current role, and has it changed since the pandemic? First, I am technical support to all technicians and pharmacists within our six regional centres, involving our pharmacy entry system. This may include adding new drugs, correcting errors and running reports. Second, I assist patients from out of province or out of country while they are being treated in BC. This may include obtaining approvals required from other provinces, billing for the patients’ care or assisting patients in transferring their health coverage. On top of that I am also involved with our Compassionate Access Program (CAP), which allows physicians to apply for coverage through BC Cancer for specific drugs or tests. I review CAP requests for our Oncotype Dx tests, which is a test for breast cancer patients that determines their recurrence score. I was fortunate to be able to work from home once the pandemic hit. The only major changes have been more Zoom calls and less face to face time. What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacy technician in 2021? This year I feel technicians have really been used to their full capabilities. We are getting involved with research projects, new computer technology and even preparing COVID-19 vaccines. We are being utilized the way we should be, and I think that’s exciting. What is the most difficult part of your job? Because I work with patients from other provinces and other countries, sometimes medications aren’t covered through BC Healthcare. I will always fight for the patient as much as I can, calling pharmacies and inquiring about drug costs and contacting our centre’s Drug Access Navigators to see if there are patient assistance programs available. But sometimes at the end of the day, patients have to pay for their medications, and I find having that conversation quite difficult, especially throughout the pandemic. What are some of the biggest issues affecting pharmacy techs these days? Pharmacies are always busy, no matter where you work. So, I worry about all pharmacy staff’s mental health. I think it’s easy to look at all the work you need to get done in a day and just go, go, go, but I truly believe this doesn’t help us or our patients in the long run. Keeping stress levels down, taking our breaks and knowing when to go home is the best thing we can do. How do you maintain work/life balance? I used to work a lot of overtime. I used to worry about my job when I was on vacation and stress about everything. Now that I’ve been working as a technician for 11 years, I’ve learned that having balance is key. I trust my colleagues and know they will do their best when covering my position while I’m away. I’ve incorporated exercise into my daily routine and when I’m on vacation, I make sure I enjoy it! Do you have any hidden talents you can share? Not so much, but I have taken up photography which I really enjoy. If you want to hear a few out-of-tune guitar chords, I can do that too. Any advice you wish someone had shared when you first graduated as a pharmacy tech? I wish someone had told me to work in retail for a while first. Even though I prefer working in a hospital-type setting, I think having had a bit more experience in the beginning would have given me more confidence overall. If you’d like to be considered for a future Pharmacy Tech Focus, send an email with some details about yourself to vwood@ensembleiq.com.

Pharmacy Tech Focus: Meredith Wylie

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics