Tech thrives in tackling new challenges

While Toby Branscombe always knew she wanted to work in the healthcare field, it took several years before she found her niche as a pharmacy technician.After graduating with a BA in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, she enrolled in the nursing program there, but realized it wasn’t the right fit. She applied for a part-time job in what was then Red Cross’s homecare department, which turned into a decade-long, full-time position. Eventually, however, the unstable hours led her to seek a new career.Read: Crossing continents for career in CanadaPharmacy was never on her radar until a friend suggested she look into it. Branscombe discovered that CompuCollege (now Eastern College) offered what was then called a pharmacy technician course (prior to regulation). “So, I applied there, and it was the best decision,” she enthuses. “I really love being a pharmacy technician.” She graduated in 2007, and with regulation on the horizon “decided it was time to expand my career to become a registered pharmacy technician.” She embarked on the bridging courses in 2012 and became regulated in December 2015. During her work term, she landed an interview at Jean Coutu Briggs Drugs in Fredericton. “I walked in for the interview and walked out with the job,” she recalls. “I finished my work term on a Friday and started at Jean Coutu the following Monday.”Read: CAPT elects 2024-2025 boardAs the senior technician—there are currently two techs with another joining the team soon—Branscombe says she “wears many hats” as she works to her full scope. She is particularly proud of her certification to administer injections, although she admits being reluctant when the pharmacy owner initially asked her to take the training course. She joined the first training session offered in the province in April 2021, and gave her first injection at a COVID-19 clinic in May. Was she comfortable on her first day? “Not really,” she laughs. “It was nerve-wracking!” After she watched the pharmacist administer a few injections, it was Branscombe’s turn, “and then it was all uphill from there!” She says her record for injections is about 185 in one day at a walk-in clinic. She is now accustomed to giving many different vaccines, as pharmacy technicians in N.B. are authorized to administer any type of intramuscular or subcutaneous injections.For Branscombe, administering injections—and doing a presentation on the experience at a 2022 CAPT conference—was all about stepping out of her comfort zone and challenging herself.She urges new graduates to do the same. “Never be afraid to try something new in your pharmacy. Try the things that scare you and push yourself to do them.” She adds there are many different types of pharmacies and different specialties within each, so it’s important to find the one that fits. “New opportunities will arise in this profession. Take the step to learn about them, to try them, to implement them,” she says.For her part, Branscombe continues to seek out CEs that she can use in her everyday job. “I always want to find ways to be better. I plan to accept any challenges that come.” Not surprisingly, she considers one of the greatest rewards of her current position to be growing her skills and confidence, as well as sharing her knowledge with others. “Being able to help my co-workers, whether it’s with billing, or difficult prescriptions, or dealing with upset customers, as well as seeing new employees learn and succeed, knowing that I had a small hand in that.”She says it was certainly worth the wait to find her perfect fit. “Pharmacy wasn’t my first choice in a career, but it turned out to be where I was meant to be,” she says. “I’m sure our profession is heading to new challenges and changes, and I look forward to what’s coming next.”This article appeared in the September 2024 issue of Tech Talk. Find it and other Tech Talk issues here.

Tech thrives in tackling new challenges

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