Recognizing Excellence

In October, PTCB named Diane Halvorson, RPhTech, CPhT, of Fargo, North Dakota, the 2016 PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) of the Year©. PTCB honored her at a special event on March 26, 2017 in San Francisco during the 2017 APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Ms. Halvorson has served as a Member of the North Dakota Board of Pharmacy for the past 6 and a half years, including two terms as Board President.

Ms. Halvorson is the Lead Pharmacy Technician and recent Interim Pharmacy Manager at Vibra Hospital in Fargo, a 31-bed, long-term acute care facility that serves patients coming from intensive care. The facility specializes in mechanical ventilation weaning and transition to rehabilitation, and its pharmacy administers more than 18,000 medication doses per month. She is also former President of, and current state board liaison to, the Northland Association of Pharmacy Technicians, the organization that led the effort in 1995 to require technician registration and education in the state.

“Diane has an impressive record of leadership on behalf of pharmacy technicians. She is committed to promoting technicians as an integral part of the health care team within their scope of practice,” said Everett B. McAllister, MPA, RPh, Executive Director and CEO of PTCB. “PTCB is thrilled to recognize her as the CPhT of the Year. Diane is a model advocate for patient safety, a remarkable leader, and a clear and inspiring voice for technicians. The effort to procure a board seat in North Dakota took years of passionate work by technicians in the state, and Diane was a critical driver of this success.”