Technicians rising

It’s been quite a summer. While many pharmacists have been putting in overtime to vaccinate their communities, we’ve been planning our first-ever CE event for pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy U Technicians is a two-day virtual conference to be held on September 18 and 20th. Modelled after our popular Pharmacy U conferences for pharmacists, it promises to be chock-full of education, train-the trainer sessions and inspiring keynotes, all focused around the theme of “Your vital role.” Describing techs as vital is no stretch—especially this year. For a regulated health profession that didn’t officially exist in this country before 2010, pharmacy technicians have quickly risen up to become essential to the operation of any patient-centred pharmacy practice. Most recently, with immunization added to their scope of practice in some provinces, techs have shown themselves to be the backbone of many progressive pharmacies. Read: Pharmacy U for Technicians a Resounding Success I can’t begin to count the number of pharmacists who have told me how much they’ve relied on their technicians in order to motor through the high demands on them over this past year. A number of you have added a tech (or more) to your staff to boost productivity throughout the recent vaccination push. And pharmacists desperate to hire more RPhTs are sharing their frustration on social media and in pharmacy discussion groups. To badly mangle the oft-quoted proverb: “An excellent technician is far more precious than rubies.” In her recent blog, “The technician evolution” on CanadianHealthcareNetwork, Carla MacKay describes how she has blossomed under two pharmacists who trusted—and expected—her to practice to the full extent of her regulated authority. That’s what you call a win-win: for a RPhT keen to work to her maximum capability, and for pharmacist/owners who realize that the only way to get untangled from dispensary ties and focus on patient care is to step away and allow these technical experts to do their job. What we need now, of course, is more of these jewels in every pharmacy. Increasing the pool of RPhTs is a challenge the profession must take seriously, now. For our part, we are pleased to provide a dedicated technician section on CanadianHealthcareNetwork that offers high-quality CE, blogs and newsletters, including the popular Tech Talk. Please encourage your techs to sign up for their own account and to register for our CE event at PharmacyUTechnicians.ca, if they haven’t already. Encouraging techs to grow will benefit the entire profession. Read more on the Technician Evolution from blogger Carla MacKay

Technicians rising

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