Technicians' Corner

By Diana Tomicic, CPhT, Technician Liaison Co-Chair

The COVID-19 pandemic created drug shortages, staffing challenges, and the loss of familiar comforts. Yet, our determined pharmacists and pharmacy technicians rose to the occasion by working harder and smarter. They found creative ways to circumvent worsening drug shortages, shared knowledge across disciplines, and collaborated to find innovative solutions to complex problems. Everyone took on added responsibilities and duties to help with the pandemic.

When the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the authorization of the Pharmacy Technicians Immunization Administration late in 2020, many technicians were enthused to take a more active role in fighting the pandemic. At my facility, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, we have 6 certified technician immunizers and 4 more studying to soon be certified. The certification process involves finding a “Healthcare buddy”, a pharmacist who is willing to sacrifice their arm and receive a practice injection to demonstrate the technician’s competency. This process brought our participating pharmacists and technicians closer together, bridging the gap between the two groups and creating opportunities for exchanging best practices and sharing stories (sometimes horror stories) about giving immunization. Our technicians felt supported and uplifted while pharmacists were happy to help guide technicians, giving all parties a sense of camaraderie and well-being. A buzz of good will and fortitude was instilled in our pharmacy as an unforeseen consequence of the Pharmacy Technician Immunization Administration.