ASHP to Create Pharmacy Technician Forum

On September 29, 2017, the ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve the creation of an enhanced membership home for pharmacy technicians — the ASHP Pharmacy Technician Forum.

Although pharmacy technicians have always been able to join and receive a wide variety of ASHP benefits, the new Pharmacy Technician Forum will significantly enhance their voice and engagement in ASHP by providing the education, tools, and resources they need to further advance their careers and solidify their roles as members of the interprofessional patient care team.

“Pharmacy technicians play a vital role in patient care and are the key to allowing pharmacists to spend their time providing direct patient care in hospitals, clinics, and all settings,” said ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, Pharm.D., Sc.D. (Hon.), FASHP. “ASHP’s goal with the Pharmacy Technician Forum is to give our technician colleagues the respect they deserve as well as the tools they need to continue to professionalize and advance their careers. As the organization that for decades has led the way in elevating the role of pharmacy technicians, we believe that ASHP will serve as the perfect home for technicians who wish to take their careers to the next level and beyond.”

The framework for the Pharmacy Technician Forum will include an executive committee that will advise ASHP on the optimal programs, education, tools, policies, and resources pharmacy technicians need to be successful in their careers. ASHP will also be dedicating a team of staff members to support the forum and will be charged with constantly seeking ways to support pharmacy technician members’ needs and enhance their engagement in ASHP.

The new Pharmacy Technician Forum will formally launch at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in Orlando in December and will be fully operationalized in early 2018. Current pharmacy technician members of ASHP will be automatically incorporated into the forum and will continue to receive the full range of ASHP member benefits along with all of the new benefits that will be offered through the forum. More information about the new Pharmacy Technician Forum will be made available on the ASHP website in the coming months and will be sent to technicians and their pharmacist colleagues through ASHP’s various communications channels.