Employer Story: Novant Health (2024)



Employer	Headquarters	Practice Setting	Locations
Novant Health	Winston-Salem, NC	Not-for-Profit Health System	800+

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.

Novant’s Technician Solution: Innovative Roles for Technicians Utilizing Technicians Across a Health System

Novant’s innovative career ladder provides technicians with the training, specialized skill development, and job advancement opportunities that pay dividends when it comes to recruitment, retention, job satisfaction, productivity, efficiency, and patient safety.

Technicians are the Lifeblood of Hospital Pharmacy

Novant Health is a not-for-profit integrated system of 16 medical centers, more than 1,900 physicians in over 800 locations, numerous outpatient surgery centers, medical plazas, rehabilitation programs, diagnostic imaging centers, and community health outreach programs. Novant Health’s more than 36,000 team members and physician partners care for patients and communities in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Novant currently employs over 300 pharmacy technicians, 95% of whom are certified through PTCB. Novant Health has boundless opportunities for technicians across pharmacy–an advantage of a large health system pharmacy. Novant technicians fill specialty pharmacy, oncology, infusion, and retail pharmacy roles. The Novant Health system relies on technicians in regulatory compliance, medication safety, and education programs.

Novant technicians benefit from on-the-job training through Novant’s historical database of reference materials compiled for each technician role. In 2020, Novant overhauled its technician professional development program and created a system-wide career ladder. By adding an entry-level technician position that does not require credentials, Novant has opened the opportunity to hire more widely. Level one technicians are required to have their Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential. Level two technicians have their CPhT and another credential of their choosing that applies to their job. Level three technicians perform more advanced roles like Technician Product Verification (TPV). They are required by the North Carolina State Board of Pharmacy to have an associate degree to perform those roles. This means level three technicians have earned their associate degree, CPhT credential, and at least one more credential of their choosing; level three technicians can also achieve the role if they do not have an associates degree but have the CPhT credential and at least two credentials of their choosing. Level four technicians meet all the requirements of being an advanced certified technician (CPhT-Adv) and demonstrate leadership. Novant has also recently introduced pharmacy technician supervisor roles. At two of Novant’s larger facilities, technicians are on the leadership team and work in supervisory positions. “The point of the career ladder is to get people to work at the top of their license,” says Paquette.

Novant technicians can move up the career ladders with independence. Technicians have the ownership to progress from entry-level up to level four technicians with the support of the health system. Novant reimburses technicians once they pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam^® (PTCE^®), incentivizing technicians to move up the career ladder and earn additional credentials with subsequent salary increases. These advances also allow technicians to explore the range of pharmacy practice in a health system.

There are many opportunities for advancement as technicians delve into a wide variety of practice areas. Novant has specialist positions at the corporate level that work in education, regulatory compliance, diversion control, procurement, and much more. PTCB’s Medication History Certificate is one of the most popular among Novant technicians. At Novant Health, the pharmacy team is responsible for collecting medication histories for all patients admitted to the hospital. Technicians also take medication histories for patients in pre-surgical anesthesia visits in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

In a challenging staffing climate, Novant has developed a hospital floor-based pharmacy technician program that has technicians gathering supplies and patient medications, doing unit checks, answering questions from nurses, and helping them find medications they need. These floor-based pharmacy technicians assist nurses by handling the automated dispensing machines and pulling daily medicines. The role is evolving to support the needs of the unit. Pamela Barney, CPhT, a technician of 22 years and going on her second year in the floor-based pharmacy technician program, says, “The most rewarding part is getting to know the nurses and becoming a friend and being dependable so they can see that pharmacy is there to help them all the time. That could be my mom that you’re taking care of. That’s why I make sure that they’ve got the medication they need”.

“Technicians are the lifeblood of a hospital pharmacy. I’ve always thought that it doesn’t matter how great or skilled the clinical expertise is if you can’t get Tylenol to a patient. Getting patients their medications is the core responsibility of pharmacy,” saysPaquette.

“Technicians are the lifeblood of a hospital pharmacy. I’ve always thought that it doesn’t matter how great or skilled the clinical expertise is if you can’t get Tylenol to a patient. Getting patients their medications is the core responsibility of pharmacy.”
-Michael Paquette, PharmD, Novant Senior Director, Pharmacy

Career Ladder Investment Pays Dividends

Novant Health has seen returns on its investment after overhauling the technician career ladder two years ago. Technicians are staying longer and have greater job satisfaction, resulting from a career ladder that prioritizes education, advanced credentials, and self-determination. Technicians have more variety and room to grow at their own pace. “Implementing a technician career ladder has definitely helped tremendously with our retention and decreased turnover,” says Paquette. Novant has seen a 73% decrease in turnover from May of 2020 to June of 2022.

Novant Health has many opportunities for professional development. Pharmacy technicians benefit from the training, financial support for credentials, and commitment to professional advancement that Novant offers. The floor-based technician program has created new opportunities for pharmacy technicians and supports the nursing team. Corporate roles can also bring technicians out of the pharmacy and provide them with leadership roles that utilize their system knowledge.

Brittany Fear, PharmD, a supervisor at Novant who developed the floor-based technician program and a former CPhT who has gone on to become a pharmacist, says, “Having credentials integrated into the career ladder creates a standard, and knowing all technicians are held to that same national standard and knowing what they’ve learned through that certificate is really helpful for us as leaders.” Fear has advanced her career and helped others advance their careers as a leader in pharmacy.

People and Patients are the Most Important Assets

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, technicians have become indispensable members of pharmacy teams. Highly skilled and motivated pharmacy technicians can handle more complex tasks, reduce errors, and contribute to overall pharmacy efficiency, leading to cost savings and increased revenue for the organization. It can also improve patient safety and provide quality care. For technicians, professional development offers an opportunity to grow their careers for the future. By following the lead of innovative health systems like Novant and investing in their technician’s career development, employers can demonstrate their commitment to supporting employees and providing better quality care. “Our people are the only way we can move forward as health care changes. Our people and our patients are our most important assets, and we want our team members to bring everything, their ideas and thoughts, to the table,” says Paquette.