Inpatient (Hospital) Pharmacy Technician Roles with Alissa (Ali) Frazzini

0:27 What is your background in pharmacy?
0:58 What is inpatient pharmacy? How does it compare & contrast to the outpatient setting?
2:17 What is your primary role & responsibilities?
3:41 What are common practice areas in both nonsterile & sterile pharmacy spaces?
4:39 What are the most critical skills to possess & how are these skills applicable to other pharmacy settings?
8:25 What role does multidisciplinary collaboration play & how do you interact with other members of the healthcare (HC) team?
10:09 What role do automation & technology play in your work?
11:43 How will the role of inpatient pharmacy technician expand & advance to different areas of expertise?
14:13 How can hospitals support pharmacy technicians' career development & growth?
17:18 What steps do you recommend for current & aspiring pharmacy technician to venture into inpatient pharmacy setting?
19:36 Can you share any final sentiments or words of advice for those interested in this field?
In this discussion, certified pharmacy technician Ali Frazzini provides an overview of the integral role that inpatient pharmacy technicians (PhT) play in the HC arena. She highlights the importance of accuracy & safety for effective, high-quality medication provision for patients. Ali shares her personal growth in expanding the versatility of her skills as a PhT in a fast-paced inpatient setting. She empowers & encourages interested candidates to "go for it" & pursue this growing & expanding field.
Ali also discusses her perspectives on how health systems can leverage & maximize the potential of PhTs to enhance patient outcomes. She encourages health systems to adopt practices to enrich PhT satisfaction, growth, & career potential into the future, through a hands-on approach, continuing education & certifications, cross-functional team-building, & PhT recognition & engagement. She calls for increased focus on widespread implementation of interprofessional learning & collaboration to optimize PhTs' contributions within the HC setting.
Thank you, Ali, for sharing your perspectives on the incredible value of PhTs to the HC system & how PhT roles are advancing in this capacity!
About Ali Frazzini, CPhT:
PhT Training Program: Pharmacy Technician University, TRC Healthcare
PhT Certification: Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
Additional Education: Bachelor of Arts, Biology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Current Role: Inpatient Pharmacy Technician
Practice Setting: inpatient pharmacy, pediatric health system
Professional Interests: medication safety, sterile compounding, high-risk medications, surgical & emergency medicine
Hobbies: reading medical books, going for walks, watching psychological thrillers, consuming candy
Favorite Quote: "I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean
About PhT Roles:
PhTs increase efficiency & contribute to a high standard of good practice within the medication use system. Additionally, PhTs play an important role in ensuring medication inventory is in-date & of high quality & integrity for use within the medication system.
PhTs have a strong transferable skill set to perform medication-related functions in a variety of roles. There are a vast number & range of areas that PhTs can venture into in the inpatient setting. This includes, but is not limited to, nonsterile & sterile compounding, parenteral nutrition & chemotherapy preparation, ADC management, medication delivery, controlled substance discrepancy monitoring & resolution, medication procurement, & inventory management.
As pharmacists increasingly practice at the top of their training in clinically-oriented roles, PhTs are well-positioned to advance into unique roles, including leadership positions, to support operational needs in the inpatient setting. This includes being intimately involved with pharmacy workflow management, inventory maintenance, pharmacy systems integration/informatics (medication-related automation & technology), auditing & compliance monitoring, & other advanced operational roles. These focus areas allow pharmacists to dedicate more time toward activities requiring clinical expertise & more resources to expanding & adding new clinical services. Through tech-check-tech provisions in some states, PhTs can entirely replace pharmacists' time spent toward operational checking duties.
There is growing visibility of PhTs in the inpatient setting through interactions with HC team members & patients. PhTs are increasingly present in patient-facing roles, involving conducting patient interviews, obtaining medication histories, & completing medication reconciliation with responsibility for gathering & organizing medication-related information. Looking to the future, we forecast the evolution of PhTs' roles in the coming years to expand to increasingly critical & innovative roles that directly impact patient care on the front lines.

[@Jordana71]

I’ve been a retail pharmacy tech for 6 years and I’m going into inpatient pharmacy now. I’m nervous about the job change, but I’m excited for the growth I’m going to experience soon. Thank you for this video, it was very helpful😌

[@stevenkyle2313]

How is it? I’m about to make the switch

[@surayyah7503]

I want to too but I'm a little neevous

[@theresamaull6637]

Great interview with so much information. It opened my eyes up to even more opportunities in the pharmacy tech world and what the future could hold for the techs. Thank you both!!!

[@DWerth-hk5ig]

Thank you both for an inspiring and informative interview.

[@shanika78]

Filling up the Pyxis machine for nurses -I understood the Pyxis machine from a Nurses side-

[@VB-vl1tg]

She could make a great nurse ☺️

[@TranspharmD]

Thank you for your comment, V! Ali recently made the decision to pursue her passion to practice as a pharmacist and began her pharmacy school journey as a student pharmacist this year. We wish her the best in her academic and professional endeavors and are excited to see all of the patient lives that she will touch as a future pharmacist! Stay tuned for a variety of upcoming content from Ali on our TH-cam channel as well as our website at TranspharmD.com, including a day in the life of a student pharmacist and tangible tips for success in professional school. We look forward to further engaging with you within the community. Have a wonderful day!

[@shanika78]

LTC/Retail/AHF/ now to INPATIENT and Out patient hospital.

[@uzmatahir2944]

Hey I want to ask some questions related to pharmacy technician so kindly how can I contact with u.

[@TranspharmD]

Hello, Uzma! Please use the following link to enter your contact information and questions: www.transpharmd.com/contact-us. We will be in contact with you and are happy to address any questions that you may have.

[@shanika78]

Homeostasis is key!