Pharmacy Technician

In recent years, pharmacists have increasingly become recognized as essential contributors to patient care and community health.

With COVID-19 vaccination clinics still operating and booster doses on the horizon, there continues to be a need for pharmacy technicians as immunizers well into the future.

Technicians play a key role in this vital element of pharmacy operations, protecting drug efficacy and against errors.

New roles and responsibilities can be passed to pharmacy technicians in order to free up pharmacists’ time, which enables them to be more engaged with their patients and provide more direct patient care.

On August 4, 2021, the Biden administration expanded the authority of pharmacy technicians under the PREP Act to allow pharmacy technicians to administer adult flu vaccines during the 2021-2022 flu season.

The new format being rolled out at Rite Aid stores is designed to center pharmacists and make them easily accessible to patients.

A majority of pharmacy departments are presently conducting safety huddles within their teams.

Many pharmacists must find a way to vaccinate hundreds of patients in an organized way, while still having to run an understaffed pharmacy.

Staying on track with immunizations means modifying workflows and reallocating pharmacy staff time.

There was a 154% increase in telehealth visits during the last week of March 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.

With many people remaining to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and everyone 6 months and older needing an annual influenza vaccine for the 2021-2022 season, many pharmacies are turning to pharmacy technicians to assist in the process.

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are perfectly positioned to help manage patients' transitions of care, according to experts with University of Michigan Health.

The objective of the study was to design and implement a useful tool to record ambulatory metrics that is reportable and can be easily integrated into the clinical workflow.

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Chris Zaleski, PharmD, RPh, said pharmacy technicians are essential pharmacy team members to prevent dispensing errors and enhance patient care.

As the first point of contact at many pharmacies, technicians can often see whether a patient has been prescribed an opioid or other monitored substances.

Pharmacists now play an integral role as medication experts of the health care team, ensuring optimal medication use and improving patient health outcomes.

Paul Sabatini, M.Ed, CPhT, FCSHP, was recognized by the California Pharmacists Association and NHA as the recipient of the 2020 Pharmacy Technician of the Year Award.

Technicians can help prevent drug diversion, provide care for patients with opioid use disorder.

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can more efficiently and proactively incorporate their expertise into patient care, reduce the administrative burden on nursing staff, and help patients overcome financial obstacles and other hurdles to accessing medications.

This week on Pharmacy Times, there are a number of important topics that will be covered and posted throughout the week.

An overview of continuing education and advanced training offerings for pharmacy technicians and what is on the horizon for 2021.

Pharmacy team members can provide educational resources, strategies to kids to promote safety.

Pharmacy Times spoke with Lauren Simko, managing performance specialist at Pharmacy Development Services, about the future of lengthening the patient lifecycle and further developing pharmacy services.

Pharmacy Times spoke with Lauren Simko, managing performance specialist at Pharmacy Development Services, about how elevating the patient experience can increase revenue for pharmacists in the healthcare space.

Working with colleagues or patients from different cultural backgrounds requires an open mind, especially when addressing common issues such as vaccine hesitancy.

To accelerate the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Husson University in Bangor, Maine, has announced that it will provide training to any pharmacist, technicians, or intern.

Building on business skills such as negotiating, managing employees, and providing culturally competent care is essential for modern pharmacists, said Shane Desselle, BSPharm, PhD.

As the bridge between the pharmacy, the provider, and the patient, it’s essential for pharmacy technicians to develop and maintain good relationships with everyone involved in a patient’s care.

Support from pharmacy management and increased job satisfaction for pharmacy technicians can improve medication therapy management programs.

There are a number of ways in which job design and working conditions can be improved in the community pharmacy setting, either on the store level or on an organization-wide basis.