ASHP Advantage Launches Online Resource Center to Address Shortages of Pharmacy Technicians

RXtechteam to Help Healthcare Organizations Recruit and Retain Pharmacy Technicians

ASHP Advantage has launched RXtechteam.org. This online resource center is part of an educational initiative, generously sponsored by Chiesi USA, providing tools, resources, and strategies needed to address the ongoing nationwide shortage of pharmacy technicians. 

RXtechteam.org draws from the expertise of a steering committee with extensive experience in technician staff development. Committee members contributed resources from their practice, including recommendations for developing robust recruitment and retention strategies, reference materials for mentors and preceptors, and models for supporting remote work and developing career ladders and professional development tools.

An ASHP survey found that a majority of hospital and health-system pharmacy administrators reported turnover rates of at least 21-30% in 2021, and nearly 1 in 10 had lost 41% or more of their pharmacy technicians. The survey also showed that a growing number of health systems are responding to technician requests for professional development by implementing internal technician training programs.

The members of the RXtechteam.org steering committee are:

Matthew Kelm, PharmD, MHA
Associate Chief Pharmacy Officer, Oncology Pharmacy Services, Duke University Health System
Durham, NC

Mariel C. Pereda, PharmD, BCPS
Manager, Pharmacy Services, and Director, Pharmacy Technician Training Program, Yale New Haven Hospital
New Haven, CT

Matthew A. Rewald, BS, CPhT, DPLA
Pharmacy Technician Education Coordinator, Mayo Clinic and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science
Rochester, MN

Tyler Darcy, MBA, CPhT-Adv
Manager, Pharmacy Training and Development, Boston Medical Center and Instructor, Pharmacy Technician Program, Roxbury Community College
Boston, MA

For more information about the resource center, visit RXtechteam.org.

About ASHP Advantage

Launched in 1995, ASHP Advantage specializes in developing customized educational activities to address identified educational gaps. As a brand of ASHP, ASHP Advantage staff members stay apprised of key issues and trends shaping pharmacy practice and health care today. With access to the vast resources of ASHP and its membership, ASHP Advantage designs quality programs and projects for health care professionals. For more information about the services of ASHP Advantage, visit www.ashpadvantage.com.

About ASHP

ASHP is the collective voice of pharmacists who serve as patient care providers in hospitals, health systems, ambulatory clinics, and other healthcare settings spanning the full spectrum of medication use. The organization’s more than 60,000 members include pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. For 80 years, ASHP has been at the forefront of efforts to improve medication use and enhance patient safety. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists advance healthcare, visit ASHP’s website, ashp.org, or its consumer website, SafeMedication.com.