Pharmacy Technician - Alexandra Barrow Interview
The third Tuesday in October is celebrated as Pharmacy Technician Day. Pharmacy Technician Day recognizes the invaluable contributions made by pharmacy technicians to patient health and safety, and as an integral part of the healthcare team. It's a day for pharmacy technicians to reflect on their careers and realize the impact they've had on patients and fellow pharmacy professionals.
To celebrate the day, Alexandra Barrow shares her journey as a pharmacy technician in the UK and more recently, in New Zealand.
- Tell us about yourself. How and why you became a Pharmacy Technician?
AB: I grew up in Hamilton which is where I trained to become a Pharmacy Technician. I always loved making mixtures when I was a kid and used my mum's pill containers and food out of the pantry to create experiments. During high school, I had a part-time job at a local pharmacy which I loved and from there I went on to train as a Pharmacy Technician through The Open Polytechnic while I continued to work. I spent many years in the UK working as a Pharmacy Technician where I trained in manufacturing chemotherapy and went on to manage Aseptic Units at London Bridge Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. After returning to New Zealand and working in both hospital and community pharmacy, I enjoyed the regular patient contact in community pharmacy and settled on the Kapiti Coast furthering my training as a Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician (PACT) and Covid-19 Vaccinator Working Under Supervision (CVWUS).
- What is the most rewarding part of your job?
AB: Making a difference in the lives of the community. Helping customers and seeing improvements in their health that have stemmed from assistance with compliance and regular communication. Being able to provide healthcare services to residents in the community is essential and very rewarding to see the benefits.
- In your opinion, what are the trends and challenges that will shape the future of pharmacy?
AB: Staffing shortages and salary inadequacies are probably the biggest challenges of pharmacy at present. Pharmacy has become very demanding and overwhelming and these workplace stressors aren't recognised with funding. Pharmacy technician salaries need to be more streamlined as they are so varied and don't often reflect on experience and qualifications. We need to make training as a pharmacy technician more appealing with the expansion of responsibilities and scope of practices which leads to job satisfaction and retention of staff. More technicians to upskill and train as PACTS as this is the way of the future with the shortage of pharmacists.
- What advice would you give to high-school leavers who want to pursue a career as a pharmacy technician?
AB: It's a great career pathway if you are looking to continue to work while being able to study. Learning on the job is easy and beneficial if you want that financial stability. Pharmacy Technicians are the way of the future in pharmacy and we need more.
- How will you be celebrating Pharmacy Technician Day this year?
AB: Celebrating with my awesome technicians' team with cake and treats. Everyone's work counts and we are lucky to have an awesome team who supports each other and put in the hard yards. Keep doing what we do best.