Delegating to Technicians: The Key to Pharmacists Practicing at Top of License

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Jennifer Griffin, PharmD, MS, clinical pharmacist for Harps Food Stores, discussed strategies for addressing vaccine-hesitant patients and detailed how her pharmacy has successfully integrated immunization-certified technicians into daily workflow.

If we as pharmacists want to be providers, we have to act like providers, and that comes with utilizing our support staff appropriately. — Jennifer Griffin, PharmD, MS

Griffin explained that her approach with hesitant patients centers on listening first, taking time to understand their concerns before responding. Rather than trying to persuade patients toward a particular decision, she focuses on providing factual information relevant to their specific questions, noting that patients have a right to be fully informed when making health decisions.

Turning to technician utilization, Griffin described a deliberate effort to get as many pharmacy technicians immunization-certified as possible, calling the certification process straightforward and well within technicians' capabilities. While pharmacists retain responsibility for clinical verification, such as confirming vaccine appropriateness, she noted that technicians now administer the vast majority of vaccines in her pharmacy, with pharmacist-administered vaccines becoming the exception rather than the rule.

Griffin outlined key elements of a successful technician training program: dedicated training time, either virtual or in person, and supervised practice, including multiple saline injections on a volunteer, before technicians immunize actual patients. She emphasized that consistent, regular opportunities to give vaccines, not just during high-volume periods, are essential for technicians to build genuine proficiency and for pharmacists to trust their skills.

More broadly, Griffin encouraged pharmacists to delegate all non-clinical tasks, including data entry, dispensing, and medication synchronization programs, to trained technicians. She framed this delegation as essential to pharmacists functioning as providers, arguing that expanded scope of practice requires pharmacists to actually operate within that expanded role by appropriately leveraging support staff.