Good for Business: Employers Investing in Pharmacy Technicians

Forward-thinking employers across the country recognize the win-win-win of investing in career development for pharmacy technicians– good for patients, good for technicians, and good for business.
 
The role of pharmacy technicians has expanded significantly in recent years in response to ongoing shifts in the healthcare landscape, like patient-centered care, changes in state regulations, technological advances, shortages of healthcare professionals, and the rise of telehealth. Public health emergencies have rapidly accelerated this expansion, with 83% of pharmacy technicians in the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)’s 2022 Workplace Survey saying that their duties have expanded since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Today, pharmacy technicians increasingly perform sophisticated operational duties like supply chain and inventory management in community pharmacies and health system settings. In many states, the scope of practice for pharmacy technicians has broadened to include more advanced tasks traditionally performed by pharmacists, such as point of care testing, immunizations, sterile compounding, medication reconciliation, telehealth services, and automated dispensing systems. As pharmacy technicians perform a wider range of tasks on their pharmacy teams, they also take advantage of unprecedented leadership opportunities within their organizations and in state pharmacy associations and boards.

Smart employers know that knowledgeable, well-trained pharmacy technicians are critical in optimizing pharmacy workflow and building a strong reputation for quality care. They also know that expanding technician roles requires increasing their opportunities for career growth.

Keeping up with Walgreens: Developing technicians to thrive at their neighborhood health destination

As an industry leader, Walgreens has implemented career ladders to provide their technicians with the training, specialized skill development, and job advancement opportunities that pay dividends to the company when it comes to recruitment, retention, job satisfaction, productivity, efficiency, and patient safety.

Walgreens supports and encourages its technicians on their journeys to rewarding and fulfilling careers. Certification gives technicians a competitive edge and access to higher-paying positions. PTCB’s Workforce Survey found that 59% of pharmacy technicians view their job as a career, with 61% saying they earned credentials to advance their career. “The credentials sell themselves with what the advanced technicians are doing and the career paths we see them go into. PTCB stays relevant with the current hot topics and the necessary knowledge base technicians need,” says Nichole Cover, RPh, Director, Pharmacy Affairs, Walgreens.

“The credentials sell themselves with what the advanced technicians are doing and the career paths we see them go into. PTCB stays relevant with the current hot topics and the necessary knowledge base technicians need.”

- Nichole Cover, RPh, Director, Pharmacy Affairs, Walgreens

Photo courtesy of Walgreens

A Neighborhood Health Destination

Walgreens is one of the largest community pharmacies in the US, with about nine thousand stores across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, DC, and the USVI. Walgreens employs more than 85,000 health care service providers, including pharmacists, specialty pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurse practitioners, and other health-related professionals. That massive workforce was able to fill 819.6 million prescriptions, including immunizations, in 2022. Serving nearly 10 million customers daily, Walgreens is the ultimate neighborhood health destination– aiming to help people live healthier and happier lives.

With almost 80 percent of the U.S. population living within five miles of a Walgreens pharmacy, it is a stronghold in protecting public health and safety. Investing in pharmacy technicians has furthered its mission of helping people live healthier lives. “The investment in technicians to arm them with the ability to immunize and provide crucial point-of-care testing when we needed it to see if people could go back to work and school was a huge part of what we were able to achieve during the pandemic, post- pandemic, and then supports future scope expansion,” says Cover.

While expanded roles of technicians vary on a state-by-state basis, the passage of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act at the federal level has acted as a catalyst at the state level for pharmacy regulation evolution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Walgreens met unprecedented demands by expanding the role of their technicians as the U.S. population turned to pharmacies as a point-of-care resource. Technicians demonstrated commitment and competency and were essential in the COVID-19 vaccination effort. As a result, the regulations allowing technicians to immunize have become permanent in most states, and PTCB’s Immunization Administration Certificate is among the most popular with Walgreens technicians. In states with expanded regulations, Walgreens utilizes technicians who have achieved PTCB advanced certifications like Technician Product Verification (TPV) and Supply Chain and Inventory Management.

The Sky’s the Limit

Walgreens invests in its workforce by implementing career ladders and supporting technicians as they build meaningful careers. Cover, who is responsible for workplace conditions in the Midwest region, tells technicians, “We’re going to be large enough to challenge you, but small enough to create a career path that provides opportunities you maybe didn’t know existed.”

When hiring, Walgreens looks for traits like empathy, crisis management, and the ability to multitask. These are the candidates who want to help patients and develop professionally. New hires go through an internal education program and paid on-the-job training. Pharmacy technicians in training receive access to PTCB’s Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam^® (PTCE^®) practice materials at no cost, and their exam fee is covered.

As pharmacy technicians continue their career paths with Walgreens, they receive continuing education opportunities encouraging them to maintain their certifications. Increased responsibilities and advanced credentials are rewarded with commensurate pay increases and advanced job titles. Leadership opportunities like supervisory roles and a robust bonus structure incentivize technicians. Walgreens trusts the high standard of certification and knows certified technicians have the necessary skills to become field leaders or store managers. Walgreens requires national certification in those roles and assists those technicians wanting to move up their career ladder into those leadership roles. Walgreens even offers tuition assistance for those who want to go on to become pharmacists–a common occurrence on the Walgreens pharmacy teams.

Walgreens utilizes PTCB’s direct billing program, allowing Walgreens technicians to sit for their PTCE exam on Walgreens’ computers, tracking IP addresses to bill Walgreens directly for the number of exams. This program helps Walgreens manage the incredible volume of pharmacy technicians in their employ, making the national certification process easier and saving time and money. Not only does Walgreens use direct billing for initial certification but also for recertification applications, which allows them to be billed directly rather than having to reimburse employees. “Walgreens can help people become professional technicians with a career path. We’re willing to do on-the-job training and make that investment...The sky’s the limit for our technicians,” says Cover.

“Walgreens can help people become professional technicians with a career path. We’re willing to do on-the-job training and make that investment...The sky’s the limit for our technicians.”

- Nichole Cover, RPh, Director, Pharmacy Affairs, Walgreens

Photo courtesy of Walgreens

Investment in Technicians Positively Impacts Patients, Profits, and Technicians

Walgreens knows how crucial pharmacy technicians are to day-to-day operations. Walgreens utilizes its technicians to their fullest capacity under state regulations and knows the value they bring. As technicians increasingly become pharmacy leaders and step into supervisory roles, they manage workflows, inventory, and other technicians. This relieves the administrative burden from pharmacy managers and frees pharmacists to provide more clinical care. Because pharmacy technicians can perform many tasks at a lower cost than pharmacists, empowering them to take on new responsibilities optimizes resource allocation and reduces operational costs. Technicians taking on immunization administration and supply and inventory management are two great examples.

While investing in pharmacy technicians positively impacts patients and profits, Walgreens’ employees like PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) Brooke Hallowell have significantly benefited from the training, financial support for education, and commitment to professional development.

Hallowell started at Walgreens 10 years ago as a clerk and worked her way up to pharmacy operations manager (RxOM) at store 7934 in Three Rivers, Michigan, where for the past two years, she’s been in charge of supervising other technicians and helping lighten the load of her team’s pharmacists. She says Walgreens supported her throughout her professional journey, from gaining her state license and CPhT to becoming a technician leader.

“Walgreens definitely helped prepare me,” says Hallowell. “I was able to gain a lot of experience working here, and then they paid for my classes and PTCB exams. That was very helpful and gave me the tools I needed.”

Additionally, Hallowell says that she was able to earn pay increases at Walgreens as she advanced from senior technician to her current role, as well as receive bonuses for providing immunizations after earning her PTCB Immunization Administration Certificate.

“I just really enjoy helping people, and I like the feeling of accomplishing the goals I set for myself every day,” says Hallowell of her career as a pharmacy technician with Walgreens. “I feel like I’m always learning something new and constantly growing.”

Photo courtesy of Walgreens

Pharmacy Technicians are at the Heart of Success

As pharmacy technician roles expand in response to the evolving healthcare landscape, increased demand for healthcare services, and the need for more efficient and cost-effective healthcare delivery, they have become indispensable members of pharmacy teams. Highly skilled and motivated pharmacy technicians can handle more complex tasks, reduce errors, and contribute to the overall efficiency of the pharmacy. This can lead to cost savings and increased revenue for the organization. It can also improve patient safety and provide a lifeline to quality care in communities. For technicians, professional development offers an opportunity to grow their careers for the future. By following the lead of industry leaders like Walgreens that invest in their technician’s career development, employers can demonstrate their commitment to supporting employees and providing better quality of care.

“We truly believe we have technicians capable of much more than what they’re currently allowed to do in the pharmacy. I can’t tell you how many technicians have gone on to become Walgreens pharmacists,” says Cover.

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